La Bal de Noce (Cajun Wedding Dance)
by Chihorrorfan84
Summary: Running is no longer an option! Gambit's past finally catches up to him. He braces himself to finally face what he had been running from for years and he fears what the team, especially Rogue, will think once they get a glimpse of his old life.
1. Chapter 1: A call to come on home

**A call to come on home**

 _(Louisiana over ten years ago...)_

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

"... So what? Dis be a bayou Neg, ain't a cage!" Belladonna Boudreaux said as she dipped her toes into the cool waters of the Mississippi river. She made herself comfortable on the bank as she watched her best friend, Remy Lebeau, carefully search the shallow water for hiding crawfish.

" Yeah well… feel like one sometimes." He said rather grimly, as he successfully snatched a large crawfish with his bare hand out of the water, and walked it over the bucket he had been collecting them in.

"It what you make it... " Belle said, ever the optimist, and as fun as it was to watch the little crawfish twist and snap their claws to escape Remy's impending boiling pot, she was bored with her life in Louisiana. She knew she was smart and full of unlimited potential, too much potential for a life that had already been pre-chosen for her by her family. She was expected to help her older brother run the crime empire her family had built generations before her. It would be a life of illegal dealings, dangerous people, paranoia, feuding, and death.

"So what you make it into Bell?" Remy asked as he dropped another member of tonight's dinner in with the others, it's beady little crawfish eyes were full of hate. Remy, however, was unsympathetic because he was forced into the same unfair life as Belle. He and Belle were an unlikely friendship, because on the other side of Belle's criminal family feud was his. The Lebeau's and the Boudreaux's had killed for so long and so often that it seemed normal. Both families were strong, wealthy, and brutal and most of all, power hungry. In each other they had found, both, a support system and a way to mutually rebel against their families by becoming best friends.

" Jus' a place ta lay m'head til Ah start mah real life, I's got plans ya know? N'you should too!" Belle urged him excitedly, she had made up her mind on leaving by the time she was ten. There was a whole world out there that she couldn't wait to get her hands on, and she wanted her friend doing the same thing. It was clear that he wasn't happy, and she hated seeing him that way. He then stepped out of the water and sat down on the bank next to his friend.

" Huh sure, Ah's not smart like you n' mah brother. Ain't jus' gonna go off n'hope fo' some sorta plan, n' land on m'feet... you could, not me-OW!" Remy said rubbing his arm, Belle had punched him as hard as she could, and she was never one to tolerate negativity from him.

" Remy! You stupider den Ah tell folks! Testin' n' rememberin' t'ings only part o'bein' smart! Yo' different smart!" Belle was tired of his unhappy and complacent attitude, he was meant for more, just like she was. They would be grownups soon, and she was determined to beat this out of Remy before she left.

" 'Different smart' be called 'stupid' Bell-Ah! Stop hittin' me!" Remy said angrily as he rubbed his shoulder,

" Den stop sayin' stupid stuff! You gonna get outta here, jus' like me! You be de smartest person Ah ever seen inna kitchen! You like a-a...a food genius!" She knew it sounded a little silly but it was true. Remy made food that she had never seen before, he seemed to be good at everything. Nearly every time he would bring food for them she would have a brand new favorite.

" Ain't so such t'ing' as a 'food genius', Bell. An' if dere was, it ain't me." Remy said, he was very eager to change the subject, talking about the future was just depressing.

" Den you tell me where someone up n'learns how ta make Korean food in de middle o' a Bayou!" Belle said unable to contain the giant grin, as she attempted to motivate her friend.

" Ah read ya'know..." Remy gave her a sad smile. Shortly after their talk, they had to rush home before anyone would miss them. Remy didn't realize it but this was the last day of his life as he knew it. It was the last day he had before his powers surfaced. The temperature was perfect and the catch was good, it was some of the best crawfish he had ever made. Later that night he would be reaching for a pot handle that he didn't realize had been hanging over a burner; the metal handle was searing hot. When he grabbed onto it he immediately felt the incredible pain and screamed, but instead of the pot simply dropping to the ground once he let go it began to glow and it exploded. The explosion destroyed half the kitchen: the oven, wall and cabinets. Only a second later his father and brother would run in and go to his side, they blamed a gas leak. Remy had turned away from the blast and tried shielding himself by holding up hands to protect himself. His father was almost hysterical at the sight of his youngest curled up on the floor terrified and burnt. When Remy tried to explain what had happened, his father shushed him and told him to rest.

~*~"Father, I did it! It was my fault! I-"~*~ The frightened boy begged his father to listen, something was happening that he didn't understand. He had an some sort of instinct to avoid touching anything, thankfully that wasn't difficult, his father and the doctor they called made sure nothing came close to his burnt hands.

~*~" Stop Remy! You need to rest up and not worry. You didn't do anything wrong, doctor says you're fine."~*~ Jean-Luc was thankful that the worst his son got was first degree burns, his hands had stayed unusually red but the doctor had assured him that, that is what first degrees looked like and after some time and a little rest he would be fine.

~*~"No! No I'm not! My hands aren't right-"~*~ Remy begged, but his father put a finger to his lips to silence him.

~*~" It's okay! What happened downstairs scared me too! But there is nothing wrong with you and you didn't do anything wrong. Now lay down, and rest!"~*~ Jean-Luc said, he was satisfied when Remy finally lamented and slammed his head against his pillow, frustrated and defeated. ~*~" Good, you see. In the morning it will be better."~*~ He said and then before leaving the room, he kissed his son on the head, thankful that his son was safe and switched off the light.

~*~"Something isn't right."~*~ Remy thought, as he held his hands up by his face and inspected them. "They ain't burnt...don' even hurt..." Remy said to himself softly. He then sat up and looked around his room, trying to make sense of what had happened, his eyes wandered and he noticed a small white down feather poking out of his comforter, slowly and cautiously he reached for it, and held it between his thumb and forefinger. He felt the soft, lightness of it for a moment before it began to glow. Remy's mouth dropped open, as he quickly released it and it snapped apart, leaving a fist-sized burnt hole on his blanket. He stared at the burn, and breathed heavily in fear; he could make no sound, ~*~" WHAT WAS THAT?! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!"~*~ Remy's panicked young mind thought. "B-B-Bell! Gotta c-call Bell!" Remy quietly stammered to himself. After the house had gone quiet and asleep Remy walked soundlessly downstairs. Remy would knock the phone open his elbows and dialed the number with his nose. It rang of painstakingly amount of times before Belle picked it up.

~*~"Remy? Do you know what time it is?"~*~ Belle said groggily, Remy usually never called her. It was too risky for them to be on the phone, despite having her own phone, they never wanted to risk being caught talking to each other.

~*~" Bell! I-I need you! Something is wrong with me! F-Father won't listen! I blew up my kitchen with my hands! Its something in my hands!"~*~ Remy was frantic on the phone and it took all of his focus not to raise his voice above a whisper as he attempted to explained the unbelievable situation. He was very aware of how crazy he sounded but Belle was the only person that would believe him.

~*~"Wait, wait! What are you saying? I don't understand!"~*~ Bella was blindsided, her friend sounded so irrational and frightened, that she didn't care that he was making no sense.

~*~" I don't either! I can't stop making my hands explode things!"~*~ Remy tried to re-explain himself but there was no version of this didn't sound insane.

~*~" Calm down, Neg! I don't know what's happening, but can you meet me at the swim spot?"~*~ Bell thought she would have no issue sorting this all out once she was face to face with him.

~*~" Yeah, hurry!"~*~

* * *

 _(The Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters; Present day...)_

It had been a mercifully quiet weekend for the students at the Xavier Institute, but being the type of people that they were, it would not remain that way. Scott Summers current leader of the X-men answered the front door expecting either some sort of delivery person or perhaps even Bobby, whom was developing the annoying habit of forgetting his keys, but definitely not the small silent boy that was currently standing on their doorstep.

"Oh, hello can I help you?" Scott asked. He was perhaps seven or eight with an abundant amount of soft light-brown curls he had that were wildly sticking every which way. His skin was the same honey-brown as his large eyes, however he was caked in dirt, which made him look darker. The boy simply stared at him through his hair with his big sad brown eyes but he did not say a word. "Are you okay? Are you alone?" Scott questioned. The boy continue to look around the large mansion and then back at him, still with no answer to Scott's questions "Okay, not much of a talker." Scott feared that the boy might have been abandoned, he didn't look like a mutant but neither did a lot of their current student body. He attempted to find some sort of clue by looking behind the boy and to the sides of the doorstep to see if there was somebody with him, but there was no car in the driveway. When he looked back at the spot where the boy was standing he had already invited himself in. Scott didn't even see him walk past him "Okay. I guess just come in then." Scott said mildly irritated. Scott approached him and asked again "Are you alone?" Scott noticed he eyes widen as he stepped closer and he began to tremble, at that point Scott gave up and went to plan B: "Jean!" he called out. He was unsure of how to approach this, he was never the type kids were drawn to. He was much more comfortable with dealing with adults. "Jean!" Scott called out again.

"Is there a reason you're yelling instead of using the intercom-Oh, who's this?" Jean Grey entered the foyer and immediately noticed their young guest.

"I don't know. He won't talk to me, maybe you'll have better luck." Scott replied and breathed a sigh of relief and was thankful when Jean took control of the situation.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Jean asked sweetly, but all he did was look up at her with big sad light brown eyes, his perfectly heart shaped face and perfectly bow lips charmed her. Jean then noticed the caked dirt and dust on his face. "Have you been sleeping outside?" Jean asked softly, as her heart melted at the sight of the little boy pouting his full lips, and shuffling his little feet.

"Are you hurt?" Scott asked, but received the same response Jean got, but now he looked frightened. "Maybe he doesn't speak English. Do you want to try looking around?" Scott purposed a mental scan of the boy's mind.

"Yeah, maybe I should. Just quick enough to see if he's hurt, and a language check." Jean reasoned, as she began to kneel down to the boy's eye level he began to cry.

~*~"Please miss, I am lost! Do not come so close!"~*~ the young boy recoiled and put his hands up in front of him to protect himself. Jean immediately pulled back not wanting to frighten him any more than he already was. She was glad he didn't run from her, but she didn't understand why he wouldn't if he was so scared, but she was thankful nonetheless.

"French, he speaks French. Hmmm, that could be a problem. I took four years of Spanish." Jean sadly smiled, the poor thing was terrified and he was possibly one of the most adorable little boys she had ever seen and it broke her heart that she was scaring him.

"German." Scott shrugged, as he pointed a thumb at himself.

"I don't feel right rooting around in his head with how scared he is, better get Gambit. Stay with him I'll be back."

"Me stay? W-wait...great." Scott tried to offer looking for Gambit instead, but Jean had already disappeared down the hall. He was clearly uncomfortable staying with their little guest, "So...French huh? That's...cool." The awkward conversation caused the little boy's face to look less scared and more confused as he raised his little brow at the man with the silly sunglasses.

* * *

Jean found Gambit relatively quick, he was napping in the rec room. She walked up behind the couch that was facing the door and looked down at his sleeping face. She hated how attractive he was, she found herself volunteering for situations that would allow them to be alone for a short periods time. His attention felt alarmingly good, however she believed Gambit was also to blame, he knew what he was doing, being the big flirt he was. This time, however, she had no one to blame but herself as she watched him sleep. Scott's eyes were always covered with sleeping goggles; she had forgotten what the eyes of a sleeping man looked like, and Gambit was a particularly excellent example. She leaned over the back of the couch and gently shook his shoulder. "Remy? Time to get up, we need you." Jean softly attempted to rouse him politely. To her 'dismay', he groaned and simply shifted onto his back, fully exposing this bare chest. Storm had reasoned with him and he had agreed to start wearing hoodies, but since he never zipped them up it defeated the purpose. "Oh come on, Remy." Jean said as she pretended not to enjoy the view. She then placed her hand on his chest and pressed down several times. "Wake up-" Jean demanded, but gasped as Remy, with his eyes still closed, seized Jean's wrist and pulled her on top of him.

"You be needin' somet'ing, Jean?" Remy smiled up at her bright red face and angry mouth.

"I need you downstairs now!" Jean demanded, blushing uncontrollably and almost panicking at how simple it would be to kiss him.

"Wha's wrong wit' right here?" Remy suggested in a sultry coo, as he tightened his hands around her waist. He lived for this game, and since living here at the institute forced him to cut down on his favorite vices such as stealing, conning, lying, drinking and so forth he took great enjoyment in conversing with the lovely ladies of Xavier's school.

"Ugh! You pig! Get downstairs!" Jean said as she slapped his bare chest with both palms before quickly standing on her own two feet. "Your linguistic skills are needed, we have a visitor here that doesn't speak English." She was quick to change the mood of the conversation, seeing as Scott could tell by the look on her face that she was clearly guilty.

"Dat stung you know?" Remy informed Jean as he rubbed his chest.

"Hey, you got off light! Now hurry up." Jean practically snapped at him, she was hopelessly red and covered in guilt thanks to him.

"So whose here?" Gambit asked as he smiled smugly, that little stunt would definitely hold him over until this afternoon. He figured that even though she hit him, the game was still on due to the simple fact that she never actually told him to stop, which would effectively end their little back and forth, but she never did.

"We're hoping you could tell us. He speaks French. He looks about seven maybe, and he looks like he's been on the road a while. So far we can't get him to speak a word of English." Jean said straightening her shirt.

" Really? A mutant?" Gambit asked, as he struggled a bit to which gears from sleepy and oversexed to X-man.

"If he is, it's not obvious. Maybe you could ask him where his parents are. Scott?" Jean said as they walked through the foyer and into the sitting room.

"I got him to sit in the living room. He's still afraid of me." Scott shrugged, small children weren't really his thing, apparently. The look on Jean's face caught Scott's attention and he immediately turned his attention to Gambit.

"What?" Gambit asked, understanding full-well why he was being eyed.

"Why do I have the urge to hit you?" Scott said not at all understanding why he felt the need to do so. The feeling was somewhat overwhelming even though he had no idea why he wanted to.

" Most men do, but who dis?" Gambit said paying little attention to Scott's implied, though accurate, accusation.

~*~ "Hello. They tell me you need some help. Are you hurt or lost?"~*~ Remy asked, hoping to get answers out of the small boy.

~*~ "I-I do not know!"~*~ the little boy answered in almost a panic and stepped away from the man attempting to understand him.

~*~" No need to cry, can we start with your name? My name is Remy "~*~ Remy asked gently. The boy mumbled a response, so Remy leaned in closer. To his surprise the boy's face changed once he learned Gambit's real name. He stopped being scared and timid and looked up at Remy, unafraid to look directly into his eyes.

~*~ Elie Boudreaux.~*~ The boy smugly smiled. Remy's face dropped, he felt as though someone grabbed his heart and began to squeeze it.

"Remy?" Jean asked, the look on Remy's face was a sudden fear, just like he had witnessed a horrible accident.

"Dat ain't yo' name..." Remy said as his voice began to grow in anger, ~*~ "What is this? Who sent you?!"~*~ This had to be some sort of joke, or maybe this was his father's sick way of getting him back to New Orleans, but despite the inexcusable mind games his father would play, this type of thing didn't seem like him.

~*~ "No one ever said you had a problem hearing...Uncle Remy."~*~ Elie completely abandoned the frightened and timid facade he had, and even smiled when Gambit grabbed him by the collar and nearly lifted him off the ground.

~*~ "Assassins are dead! Who sent you?!"~*~ Remy demanded. The Assassins had been extinct for years, so he had thought. He had suspected that some of them had resurfaced when his father was kidnapped months ago. He had always suspected that someone was trying to revive Assassins Guild again, and kidnapping the leader of the Thieves Guild was a good start, but everything went quiet shortly after that. Gambit's father had assured him that it was a freak occurrence of a few lucky Assassin wannabes, calling themselves 'Rippers'. It could have easily been a lie, but Remy very much wanted to believe it, and did, until now.

"Gambit!" Jean exclaimed. She was especially shocked when the boy began laughing at him. She immediately began to scan the boys mind and all she got was a first person view of the little boy stealing and manipulating his way up to New York from Louisiana. The only other clue she saw was of a figure sitting behind a long table, in a room full of candles. The figure smiled down at him and pointed out the door and sent to give his message.

"What are you doing?!" Scott demanded. Both Scott and Jean began to pull the two apart but Remy held up a hand to stop them, and then the boy began to speak, and not just speak but also threaten.

"Yo' time come Thief! Dis be a message ta come on home! Dey say de game be real dis time!" The boy demanded in English, as he drew a stitch-blade intended for Gambit's arm, however he knew the boy would try something like that and was on alert. No matter how small the Assassin, all of them are the same; trained to kill Thieves. Gambit grabbed the boy's wrist and whipped the blade out of his hand.

"Dere ain't no home fo' me down dere no mo'! It's over! Go on back n'tell 'em that!" Remy shouted angrily, he paid no attention that he was shouting at a child or that it was useless to do so; he knew that this was no joke. The Assassins had to be back.

"You say ta me? You gonna have ta say it ta all Assassins if you don' come! Dey come here an' drag you back! An' Ah see! Ah see you got friends up in 'ere! Don' wan' no one ta get hurt? Den you come! You come right quick! O' yo'Daddy pay de price!" The child said loudly and unafraid of Remy or his friends.

"Ahh!" Gambit called out as Elie threw a handful of powder in his eyes that made a thick cloud similar to smoke. In his rage Gambit had forgotten to look at the boy's other hand. The cloud was so thick even Jean began to cough and was hopelessly blind.

"I'll get him!" Scott said searching the stinging cloud for the little assailant, not noticing the boy jumping through the large open windows of the living room.

"Don't! Let 'em go!" Gambit ordered, as he rubbed his stinging eyes with one hand and grabbing Scott with the other. He offered them no other information as he turned and felt his way to the kitchen to flush out his eyes. Jean and Scott looked at each other for a moment before going after Gambit for an explanation.

"Gambit, what the hell was that?!" Scott demanded. Jean took Gambit's arm and quickly led him to the sink.

" It was...personal." Gambit said sternly, this was no one's business but his own. He had respect enough for his calling card that he let the boy go; Thieves and Assassins had their own set of laws and rules. The next move was Remy's: would he respond and come home or would he accept the consequences of rejecting the invitation?

" What did he throw at you?" Jean asked as she assisted Gambit. Her own eyes watered and stung. Once she had a mind to mentally scan for the boy he was already out of range; no wonder that the Assassins would choose their fastest and slipperiest to deliver their message.

"Ash…" Remy said. He was as annoyed as he was nostalgic, he had been taught the same thing when he was that boy's age. It was still just as effective now as it was back in the day.

"Who was he and what was that warning about? He was talking about New Orleans wasn't he?" Jean asked, full of concern. This is Gambit's past and it finally caught up to him, but it is found out where he was living and it was dangerous enough to threaten his life and mean it.

"Like Ah said, personal." Gambit repeated, he knew this was bad and he tried to keep calm as he decided what to do next. First he had to find a way to convince the others to stay away from him and then he would go to New Orleans and deal with what should have been dealt with years ago.

"Personal or not, Gambit, that kid threatened you, then attacked you!" Jean reasoned this problem couldn't be so big that they couldn't band together as they usually did to save each other. It was true Jean had no idea what to expect but she was confident that the X-men would handle it and help Gambit like a family should.

"Sure did." Gambit tried to remain as an engaging as possible but deep down he was panicking. The boy had mentioned his father, he also said that this, time the game was real. Those were clearly not the boys words somebody had told him to say that someone in power. Where was his father? Where was his brother? He had been so preoccupied with his new life as an X-man that he just noticed that neither of them had contacted him in months. We're the Assassins really back? And most terrifying of all, did Belladonna have something to do with this? Would he finally find out if she was alive? He quickly changed his mind, there was no way Belladonna could be alive, not after all this time. He could not face the possibility that she had been alive all this time and he had never gone back for her. His mind raced with possibilities and the thoughts were driving him insane. He tried not to look as anxious as he was.

"He threatened us too, Gambit." Scott said sternly. He had anyways knew that the X-men would have to pay a pretty heavy price for admitting Gambit to the team. If it was his decision he would never have allowed him to join up, but he was out-voted. He had a feeling that the next few days would prove that Gambit was more trouble than he was worth.

"Only if Ah don' come. Ah'm goin', but it ain't got nothin' ta do wit' de X-men. Jus' me." The fear that Gambit felt in the pit of his stomach almost paled in comparison to the intense anxiety he felt. He had to know what was going on in New Orleans and what they wanted with him. He fairly accept the fact that he was going to be killed or at least there would be some sort of attempt made on his life, but he refused to let anyone else get involved.

"You are an X-man, so yes it does. That kid said to get home quick. The blackbird is as quick as it gets. It'll be there before that kid does, if we get going now we could surprise-" Scott was already deciding on who to bring to New Orleans.

"No. Ah know ya'all mean well, dis got nothin' ta do wit' y'all." Gambit tried politely decline their help, they just didn't understand what was at stake. There was nothing they could do and this was strictly a family matter.

" Gambit, think for a second, if you're going, then they know you're coming and its going to be you against how many? Do you even know? You can't deny you could use a second set of eyes." Jean reasoned.

" I was there the last time your father was threatened and that was no walk in the park. Jean's right, another pair of eyes will be the only chance you got." Scott said, as he came to know Gambit, Scott was finding less and less of him was worth knowing. What had just happened beautifully proved his point, even on a quiet afternoon Gambit always found a way to bring life-threatening problems to their door. Scott resented that fact he was secretive and difficult to trust; he also had an issue with taking orders and to a lesser extent he didn't care for how he treated Rogue. He felt that Gambit had been on his own for so long that being part of a group wasn't worth the training they had to put into him, however he was overruled by Professor Xavier. The Professor felt that he was indeed useful and deserve a second chance. And, though he had proven himself a few times it was not nearly enough to satisfy Scott. The fact that they share the x-gene was the only reason Gambit was there. If they had not been born mutants, Gambit would just be a criminal and Scott would have never associated with him in the first place.

"You ain't got eyes ta give, Cyke." Gambit said sarcastically, " N' dis is me, only me." He could barely manage a convincing argument, ~*~" Oh, God Bell is dis you?"~*~ Remy thought fearfully, he didn't have time to argue with them, he needed to get down to New Orleans.

"Remy, do you really think you can stop us from following you? The last time you followed me it saved my life, I-we owe you." Jean said squeezing his arm. She was only mildly annoyed by Scott's disapproving look as she convinced Remy to take their help by looking into his eyes and comfortingly touching his muscular arm. This was another issue that Scott had with him Jean always seemed pay just a little too much attention to him and though Scott could not deny that his eyes wandered also, Gambit was very receptive to her. That couldn't help but make a boyfriend's eye twitch when he saw it. Despite Scott's disapproval, she succeeded in making him cave.

"Fine, but not Rogue." Remy insisted, but this conflicted with Scott's plans.

"Rogue is more familiar with the terrain than you-"Scott said referring to the days before Gambit had joined their ranks and he had kidnapped Rogue to retrieve his father. Since Remy had been away from the organized crime life he had led in New Orleans for so long he had no idea where anything was anymore. Rogue had absorbed information from man that was rumored to be a part of a group called the Rippers. Remy had suspected that it was a possible subsidiary group trying to revive the extinct Assassins Guild, at the time he had dismissed it as paranoia. At at one point Remy had hoped to get additional information from Rogue when she had touched the alleged Rippers member, she never mentioned anything, but she did succeeded in retrieving the information they needed to rescue his father, and it had worked like a charm; that was all that had mattered.

"Ah don' want none o'you comin' out in the first place, but you don' know wha' dis all 'bout n' Ah do! Rogue sits dis one out!" Remy was most insistent.

"Now that would be Scott's call wouldn't it, Remy?" Rogue said as she entered the room. She had only heard the tale end of the conversation, the part that involved her. The mood was tense and impossible to ignore.

"Rogue…." Remy said, unable to put together a sentence.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue's question was directed at all three of them but she really only wanted Gambit's answer.

"We have a situation. It's calling for us to get a team down to New Orleans." Scott said. He could not see them going to New Orleans without Rogue, she was too integral. She understood the social environment, she had intimate knowledge of the area, and most importantly, to him, she served as excellent alternative distraction from his girlfriend.

"This is you?" Rogue directed her question at Gambit and he nodded, "An' you don't want me goin'?" Rogue said pointing at herself. Gambit let his arm fall to his sides in minor defeat, he didn't have time for this.

"Can Ah talk ta you?" Gambit asked in a serious low voice.

"Sure." Rogue said slowly, as she allowed Gambit to lead her into the hallway. At this point she was halfway furious with him, he had been avoiding her for weeks with no explanation as to why. He had been in the infirmary for nearly a month and most of that was in a coma. A coma he had incurred while her saving her life, after he had awoke he had developed a sort of anxiety around her, he gave no explanation as to what was going on and it made her furious. She miraculously kept her temper and check as she calmly reasoned with him.

"Not tryin' ta hide anythin', but Ah don' know wha' Ah'm gonna find down dere, but none of it gonna be good. Ah don' wan' you in it." Remy said as sincerely as he could, he would say almost anything at that point to get Rogue not to go to back to New Orleans.

"Scott had a point, Remy. If you're goin' where Ah think you're goin', Ah know my way around. You don't." Rogue reasoned, she knew full well that Gambit's estranged wife maybe involved, but he didn't owe her anything. Whatever chance they had together wasn't defined as anything she could understand just yet, but what she knew for sure was that he was in trouble and she could help.

"Ah'll manage." Gambit assured her. He had noticed her obviously change in the last two months since acquiring her new powers from the mutate-hating persona of Carol Danvers, a persona whom was now residing in the base of Rogue's subconscious. Physically she had been changing as well, her attire was becoming more revealing, she was wearing less makeup and visibly smiling more. He didn't want to be a source of hurt for her.

"Ah already know what Ah know, Remy. Made peace with it; but what good is gonna come from you stumbling around in the dark? Its full a'people ready ta kill you or whatever it is they want from you… Ah'm able ta help. So Ah will." Rogue smiled, "We'll be fine- Ah'll be fine. Okay?"

"Have it yo' way, Cher." Remy said sadly, he now knew exactly how death row inmates felt when they were being lead down the long hall toward their deaths, no use to run or even say anything. Rogue watched as he turned his back to her and disappeared down the hall.

"Rogue?" Jean asked as she poked her head out of the door way.

"Mmm?" Rogue asked, and looking down the empty hallway.

"Scott's putting a team together, you, Kurt, Bobby, himself and me. We're meeting in the hanger, wheels up in 15. Rogue? Are you listening?" Jean asked, she had hit her stride with a Rogue and understood her a little better after that what they've been through together after Genosha. Rogue would come to her if she needed to talk, she was uncomfortable being approached.

"Yeah, sorry Ah just wish he wasn't so damn cryptic about everything. Man's gonna get himself killed." Rogue said shaking her head sadly.

"Not if we can help it." Jean smiled reassuringly.

"Right." Rogue responded not completely convinced. "Meet ya in the hanger." She said as she hurried off to get into uniform.


	2. Chapter 2: The long trip home

**The long trip home**

 _(The Landing Hanger; Xavier School)_

The team was dressed and ready to go in exactly 15 minutes as ordered. Forge was under the hood of a newly repaired helicopter, singing along to 'Boogie Shoes' blaring from the old transistor radio, his face was covered with grease and complicated looking goggles. He smiled ear to ear in satisfaction at his handy work, for the first time in months every single vehicle, water craft, air craft, and blender engine in the school was running perfectly. He proudly thought of what the Professor would say once he returned home from Washington, not that he was holding his breath, he wouldn't be surprised if he didn't see him until the holidays.

"Forge, have you seen Gambit?" Scott looked around at his team. He was annoyed that Wolverine had kept his promise and had been hovering over every order he gave. Logan had been afraid that Scott was becoming overwhelmed with authority, and losing touch with his team. Scott refused to believe he had any problem at all, perhaps he came off a bit cold at times, but he felt it was worth it if the job got done. Logan's chaperoning was infuriating.

"Oh yeah. Took off about 15 minutes ago." Forge said wiping his hands with rag.

"What?!" Scott said, his annoyance gave way to anger. Gambit had openly defied his order, even though this seemed to be his personal issue, Scott saw it as an open threat to his team; that made it his business and being denied the chance to handle it was infuriating.

"He said you "was sendin' him on ahead" or, something equally as colloquial, and took the mini-jet. What's going on?" Forge asked flipping the dark lenses of his goggles up and turned down ' K.C. and the sunshine band'.

"I'm going to kill him…" Scott thought, but before he was able to regroup and give new orders Bobby's voice interrupted.

"Got another problem here, Scott!" Bobby said pointing to the smoking engine of the Blackbird.

"What now!" Scott said visibly angry. Forge sprinted to the Blackbird as he saw his precious jet beginning to smoke.

"Looks like he really didn't want us around on this one." Bobby said as he opened one of the Blackbird's engine flaps to reveal burnt and blown hardware. Bobby even retrieved a small corner of blackened playing card.

"What did he do to my bird?!" Forge yelled, and protectively hugged the plane's wheel.

"We take the helicopter then." Scott tried to put anger aside for the moment as he struggled to keep his team on schedule.

"What?! No way! I just got done with her!" Forge protested, he then ran over to the helicopter and outstretched his arms to block anyone from getting in to it. "She's too young! Too small!"

"Sorry Forge, we need to get down south now." Scott reasoned.

"He's right, Scott. The helicopter only fits four." Bobby said, "Going to have to cut your team down." Scott's patience continued to grow increasing thin as he named off his shrinking team.

"Fine, Bobby, Rogue, Kurt, and myself-"

"I'm jumpin' in. Kurt stays I go." Logan corrected him, he knew Scott was going to try to shake him and he wasn't going to, no matter how hard he tried. Scott's eyes immediately narrowed.

"Logan, again, I do not need a chaperon." Scott knew Wolverine was going to try to challenge him and try to take over his mission. At least, that's how he saw it.

"This ain't about what you think you need. Let's get going." Logan tried to be as concise and un-engaging as possible. He said he would watch over Scott's leadership, but this time he really wasn't trying to step on his toes. Wolverine knew Gambit had a history, and none of it was good. He couldn't imagine that the place where all that history happened could be anything less than dangerous. He was going to see to this one personally.

"I lead, I make the teams, Logan. Not you!" Scott demanded in the lowest tone possible, however, everyone knew what was happening. Not even Jean intervened, she knew if she did Scott would just feel as though everyone was ganging up on him. She prayed this was a temporary phase, that Scott's behavior was just growing pains to his new responsibilities but she feared it was lasting too long to be a temporary.

"Flap yer damn lip all you want kid. This is how it has to go!" Wolverine wasn't nearly as hopeful as Jean. He knew this fight was going to be difficult and ongoing. He made it his business to monitor and cut Scott down to size until he learned.

"I'm not a "kid" anymore-" Scott demanded, we would have willingly continued the argument if Rogue hadn't placed her fingers in her mouth to blow a high-pitched blast of a whistle.

"Will y'all just shut up!? Gambit's headin' inta god knows what and he's got a jump on us! Can we just move already?" Rogue demanded, they had to deal with enough without inter-team arguments. She would have taken the time to consider both sides of their arguments if she thought it was worth considering, but after the look in Gambit's eyes and seeing how hard he was working to keeping her out of New Orleans she just wanted to get there and understand what was going on.

"Fine…let's get into the air." Scott said, swallowing his pride and again accepting the fact that no one was following his orders. Wolverine was becoming an unrelenting pain in his side, and being disrespected in front of team was getting very old. It was a bitter send off as the team boarded the helicopter.

* * *

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

Remy tried to focus on keeping the jet level. He knew that the others wouldn't be far behind, and he had only flown a plane a handful of times. Every mile he put behind him in the direction of New Orleans made him sweat all the more. He had avoided that city for years and he had been back more in the last few months than he ever thought he would, the tension in his chest was painful. He felt like he could have a heart attack at any moment and not a second went by that he didn't think about turning the plane in any other direction and running away again. He could have went to the Bahamas, he knew people, he could sell the plane for fast cash and start running all over again; but he couldn't let the X-men pay for his actions. The threats the boy-Assassin had made against them were real, and though the X-men could probably handle themselves, this wasn't their problem. The X-men had only done right by him, and he would gladly risk his life for one X-man in particular. Rogue didn't need to see this ugly part of him and he intended to finally deal with this head on. The first step would be finding his father, to distract himself he tried to recount their last conversation.

 _(Six months ago...)_

~*~"So, you going to tell me how this all happened?"~*~ Remy asked. This was the first time he had sat down with his father in over 4 years, occasionally he would hear from him trying to tell him to come back home; that it was safe for him to take over the family business alongside his father like he should. Remy cared for his father but he avoided speaking with him, he always wanted to ask if he knew of Belladonna's whereabouts and was terrified of the answer. He had no idea if she was alive or dead or perhaps she had just run away with the rest of the Assassins Guide, he didn't know and he avoided finding out the truth. The truth was never good, and for his own well being he felt that avoidance was his only and best safety mechanism against possibly the worst news of his life.

~*~"Is that all you're going to say to your father?~*~ Jean-Luc said. A proper visit with his son would not be complete without a proper guilt trip, he had been waiting for this day for a long time. He had waited years for his son to meet him face to face, it was sad that he had to be kidnapped for this reunion to happen, however, it came and he was grateful. ~*~"Get your ass over here."~*~ Jean-Luc ordered. Remy grudgingly walked over to his father and accepted his enthusiastic hug. Something Remy had to give his father credit for: he never had problems showing affection and there was no doubt in his mind that the affection was always genuine. There was also no doubt in his mind that his father needed him more than he needed his father. Jean-Luc needed his son alongside him to run the organized crime syndicate his family had built. He had sent his son away the day that the Assassins Guide were slaughtered and the Thieves Guide had taken power. He made sure that his son was safe and had sent him away for his own good. Once Jean-luc was sure he had cemented himself on top, he called his son to come home but Remy refused. At the time, it broke his father's heart, but he could not stay mad at him for very long, he knew he could wear his son down if he just had a chance to see him. However, the longer it took the angrier he became, not angry with Remy, but with the Assassins and especially that Assassin daughter! It was Jean-Luc's deep-set and instilled hatred that he had lived with his entire life, so he couldn't' necessarily understand his son's feelings. He came to accept that his son had developed feelings for the girl, but he foolishly underestimated her. To him, the girl was as useless as her Father, the now dead Assassins' leader, Marius Boudreax. Jean-Luc saw her as Marius's little princess, a pampered southern belle with more blonde curls on her head than she had brain cells. And he was convinced that it wasn't her brain cells that lured in his son. Jean-Luc was coming to realize that Remy was having difficulty facing her, dead or alive. After the slaughter of the Assassins, he let the girl live, not as an act of mercy, but rather as his own brand of personal punishment for the girl and her dead father. First, Jean-Luc had turned her into his pawn for fraternizing with his son, and then he transformed her childhood home into an isolated prison; he uncaringly thought the girl would die. He figured that she was weak and being surrounded with the rotting bodies of her dead family, she would blame herself and would most certainly commit suicide. He could picture it now, women like that were weak, she would hanging herself perhaps. Gently swaying back and forth from the crystal chandelier in their grand foyer, just above the red-brown bloodied floor, and blaming herself for everything. It would be a dramatic and fitting end to the Boudreax bloodline. Jean-Luc was sure his son would get over it, after all, a dead Assassin was something to celebrate, and there were plenty more girls in the world.

Remy groaned, ~*~"I'm happy to see you and I'm glad you safe." ~*~ Remy hadn't seen his father in a long while but he was already so sick of this, and it never changed. His father would always run him through a guilt trip and melt him with a little bit with some fatherly affection, then he would try to avoid talking about anything serious. And of course he would never apologized. Remy had picked up the same bad habit, he never apologized either, it felt so foreign to even consider it, but he was never taught how to.

~*~"Don't hurt yourself trying to be concerned."~*~ His father smiled that same grin that Remy, himself, subconsciously emulated. It was that Lebeau charm. Even though Gambit and his father were not blood related, they copied each others mannerisms as if they were twins. Jean-Luc LeBeau loved both of his sons equally but he identified most with Remy. His older son Henry was very different than everyone in the family, Henry was his own man, an intelligent serious type of man, whom lacked a sense of humor and was interested in global business. Henry was someone who was happy pulling strings behind the scenes to further the 'family business', rather than being out front like his father. That was almost the opposite of his father. Jean-Luc was more irresponsible, warm, cunning and always wanted to be the center of attention; he never turned down a chance for a good time and was seldom serious.

~*~"Father please I'm tired playing these games with you, just tell me what happened. How did this all happen? Are... are the assassins back?"~*~ Remy would never appreciate the irony, the frustrating and annoying reasons why he had trouble speaking with his father were the same problems that everybody had with him.

~*~"Hell no, this was just some fools to be trying to play Assassin, they are not real thing."~*~ Jean-Luc was clearly playing down the severity of the situation. This was very well-planned out this had all of the cunning and expertise of a professional job that Marius Boudreaux would have used to kidnap him. Only it was better in the sense that they were far more discreet than he ever remembered. They were smart and they had even effectively flushed out his son, which be believed was their intent all along. It went so smoothly, that for a moment, he thought Marius was back from the dead, but that was impossible, it must have been a fluke.

~*~"Real enough to get the drop on you"~*~ Remy observed, he was familiar with his father's tendency to play down any kind of mistakes he made. Remy, himself, he did the exact same thing, but he could not deny that his father looked shaken, but, as always, he was quick with an excuse.

~*~" Lucky break! I got comfortable, that was stupid of me but you were good to come for your old man." Jean-Luc said thoughtfully, but the truth was he was scared. He had appreciated that the Thieves had been running the City of New Orleans organized crime, unopposed, for over a decade now and he was not willing to relinquish the power without a fight, but he would need his son's help in order to keep it that way. He could feel the tides of power turning and he knew it was coming soon.

~*~"Don't see how I had much of a choice.~*~ Remy thought, ~*~" That was really damn lucky to not be something bigger."~*~ Remy knew his father too well to know this was just a line, but he so badly wanted to believe it. He tried to fight it but his mind immediately went to Belladonna. She had occupied his thoughts ever since he knew he had to go back to New Orleans. He didn't know if she was alive, dead or just waiting for him; it kept him up at night and it kept him on run.

~*~"It's being handled, and if you want to come and give your opinions you're going to have to come back permanently."~*~ Jean-Luc was taking this opportunity to bring his son back home. Undeniably, he missed and loved his son, but now he feared he would lose control of the city without him. He needed what is son would bring to the Guide, his mutant ability alone was a powerful asset, but most importantly, he knew he could trust his boy. He had trained his son to be a fantastic thief, whom surpassed his own skills by the time Remy was 14, the natural agility his mutation warranted him made him a master escape artist and his almost hypnotic-like charm gave him an incredible edge in the con-game. Proudly, Jean-Luc could say his boy was the best he had ever seen.

~*~" Please, do not start with this again father. I'm not coming back, there's no place for me here. And you know why."~*~ Remy assured him, and he decided to finally ask about Belladonna, he had been building up the courage to ask. Fear held him back, all the while, from when he got word that his father was missing, to when he knew that he would have to come home and then to right this moment his thoughts were of Bella. The only time he wasn't searching or thinking of Bella was when Rogue had his attention, that alone made it easy from him to promise Rogue that he would always look out for her. After this night he would find himself thinking of Rogue as often as he did Bella.

~*~"Going to need to sooner or later."~*~ The anger in Jean-Luc was boiling in the pit of his stomach, anger not for his son's response, but the hatred of Assassins. They were the reason his son wouldn't come back, and it was that girl! The Assassin daughter, he didn't and wouldn't try to understand his son's apprehension. It never occurred to him that it could be guilt, he had never taught his son guilt. Just like how Jean-Luc wouldn't feel guilt when he would fantasize about the weak little princess hanging herself from the crystal chandelier that hung in their grand foyer; in front of the white marble stairs with the polished black banisters, in her wedding dress. That's what women like her did, rather then give up her gilded and spoiled lifestyle, rather than face the blood soaked cage that was once her childhood home. It was the making of a perfect haunted ghost story. None of this, of course, would he share with his son

~*~" Yeah well we'll see about that." ~*~ Remy smiled, despite his exhaustion. ~*~"Ask! just open your damn mouth and ask!"~*~ Remy thought, he had never been so thankful of his ability to pull off an unwavering poker-face, as he screamed at himself inside his head to stop acting like a damn coward and inquire about Bella.

~*~"Stubborn just like me, it's okay though time will tell on that."~*~ His father's poker-face was just as good as his son's. He hid his fear, he hid his anger. Soon enough he would be out of patience for his son's return.

~*~"Father, something I've been meaning to ask you is... is Henry around I haven't seen him in a while?" Remy nearly asked about Belladonna and if she was alive, or if she had run away with the other surviving Assassins. If she had run away maybe she was happy, maybe she had made that life she had always wanted. He was too terrified of the answer, he just couldn't bring himself to ask the question. He was running away from the problem, running away from one of his biggest regrets and he hated how okay he was with that.

~*~" He's in Spain, but you know what I really want to know? Tell me something about that pretty white steak that pulled our asses out of the fire..."~*~


	3. Chapter 3: The Prince Returns

Chapter 3:

 **The Prince Returns**

 _(Weeks earlier...)_

" Heard you had a shower!" Rogue said, in a bright sassy tone as she walked into the infirmary to visit Gambit for the first time since he had been awake and coherent. His smile grew large as he recognized her, he then good-naturedly rolled his eyes at her.

" Huh, news travels fast 'round here, eh?" He said, as was becoming a habit, Gambit's heart begin to beat faster as she entered the room. She looked fantastic, she had put on a short skirt to show off her shapely legs. He could not help but notice as she walked towards him, the smile on her face was undeniable. She was beautiful, and to Remy's great relief, she was happy and she was safe.

"Yeah, Ah would get used to that." Rogue said. It was nearly midnight and Rogue had heard that Gambit had woken up from his coma and was now speaking. She could no longer put it off and had to see him. She knew seeing him would help clear up some of her nightmares, she needed to see him alive and speaking.

"You look great." Gambit said, smiling at her. It was true, she looked different. Not only had she healed from the majority of her wounds she was dressing a little more productively, in her thin tank top, short skirt and long gloves. She had an almost laid-back attitude, her hair was pushed out of her face, and her smile was usually brief and fleeting, but this time it remained stationary on her lovely face. He recognized immediately that this was for him. In the time that she had to recover, it seemed that not only did her body heal but so did her mind. She had a sort of renewed outlook on life, she felt she had herself together. The ugliness of fighting and containing Danvers was over for now and she was eager to share that with Remy.

" Ah could say the same thing about you, happy ta see that you're awake," Rogue said brightly, as she gently sat down on the edge of his bed. Though Rogue could never detect his rapid heartbeat upon seeing her, she would never deny hers. The stitches on his face were almost invisible to her as she leaned in to speak to him. Each bruise and cut was a visible representation of how much he sacrificed for her. He had nearly died for her, and like some fairy-tale hero he struck down the monster and carried her away from danger; even though that wasn't were it ended, and the story had nothing close to a "happily" type of ending. She still remembered the way she felt when Johnny was choking the life from her and her only thought was of Remy, and how she fantasized that he would save her, and, like the answer to a prayer, he did.

" Ah'm happy ta see Ah'm awake too, Ah understand Ah almost didn't make it." Remy grimly stated. The opposite could be said for Gambit, though his body was healing nicely and he was returning back to normal, his attitude was turning strangely negative. A new feeling rose up in him, it was a feeling of anxiety, something felt very wrong. Why was he feeling so anxious all of a sudden? He didn't understand; it was almost instinctual. He needed to pull away from Rogue, and the more brightly she spoke and the more excited she was to be around him, the more he felt like sending her away.

" Ah don't want ta talk about that." Rogue said with a sad smile, she was determined to move forward from the whole ugly ordeal. She was determined to push on to more positive things, but something about him seemed off, though she tried not to pay that any mind; especially after what he had been through.

" Well ain't you soundin' all serious? Wha' you wanna talk 'bout?" Gambit asked, he found himself getting uncharacteristically nervous. There was something about her that made him so anxious that he was willing to forgo his usual flirtatious banter and ask her to leave; but was it her that was making him feel so uneasy? Or was it something else?

"Ah was hopin' 'bout us," Rogue said in a flirtatious way and placed her gloved hand over Gambit's. She then smiled at him in the way he liked, but to her surprise, Gambit ushered her hand away. He then smiled at her, not flirtatiously, almost as though he were apologizing.

" Oh ...well, feelin' kinda tired. D'ya t'ink maybe we can save it fo' another day? When Ah'm back on m'feet." It was as though the moment she had sat down on his bed she triggered a ticking clock, that only he could hear. She had done so much for him and he was all too enthusiastic to return the favor, but even now, as beaten down as he was, he lit up when she entered the room and he found that terrifying. He felt as though he were pushing Rogue out of the way to save her from a rushing train, it made no sense to him whatsoever. The effort that he put into keeping Rogue safe was baffling because there was no visible danger. Rogue was the one person he had done more for than any other person, for the exception of the woman that became his wife.

"Oh ...sure that's fine. No rush. You should get yourself better before you do anythin'." Rogue was hurt, but didn't let it show. Suddenly he was pulling away from her? Why? Was he no longer interested in her? Was he scared, or was he really telling the truth? She didn't understand.

" Ah'm not in de mind ta do nothin' right now, Cher." Gambit smiled at her, hoping she would understand. He had felt his way before. Remy's urge to keep her at a distance was a feeling that he couldn't ignore. The last time he cared about somebody this much they suffered greatly thanks to him, and most likely, they had even lost their life.

Bella Donna Boudreaux was his best friend, he had agreed to become her husband to save their lives and now she was most likely dead because of him. And before he abandoned her, she had to witness the loss of everything she loved because of him. And he was only a little too disgusted with the fact that he didn't care enough to go back to see what ever truly became of her.

" Ah get it, really no need ta give me those sad eyes!" Rogue laughed, "Just get well quick n'in a hurry. No one 'round here can cook." She winked at him, and she some how managed to get a chuckle out of him. Before anything more could be said, she quickly stood up and left the room. She was trying to hide the hurt, anger and confusion that she was feeling. She was clearly being pushed away, and why was he being so damn jumpy? The more she thought about the whole stupid ordeal the madder she got.

" Was this why ya were actin' so damn weird?!" Rogue yelled inside her head. "Did that whole stupid no-conversation talk we had have ta do with yer past o'yer present, Remy?" Rogue thought angrily about the conversation they had in the infirmary, it was the last serious conversation they had, had before Remy began avoiding her. It made her want to use her impressive strength to cut fire wood with her fists or crush stones into rubble; the man was an annoying mystery. They had left each other on strange terms. She tried not to push him any more than what she did because he was still on the mend. She also may have just been too afraid of how he really felt about her to talk any further about it. She found it much easier to just be angry at him. However, it was slowly making a little more sense because nearly two weeks later the boy-Assassin had came to their school with his fatal message. Did he know the boy was coming? Was that the reason for the distancing? The potential for speculation was maddening, and it just added to how aggravated she was.

* * *

" SO lucky the man didn't have a catheter in!" Rogue bitterly ruminated over the last thing Remy had said to her to distract herself as the team flew to New Orleans. Which was a mistake, because it was making her mad all over again; the weeks Remy had avoided her were awkward and infuriating, but she was caught completely off-guard when he pulled her aside today and told her that he didn't want her coming to New Orleans. She played very cool at the time, but inside her head she was screaming her real feelings: " Who the hell did he think he was!? You couldn't do this the easy way, could you? Then ignorin' me like the damn plague! And then you were gonna tell me what ta do n' where ta go!? If Ah wanna go ta New Orleans then Ah'm gonna go ya busted-red-eyed-mother-f-"

"Rogue, what do you know about this?" Scott asked firmly, interrupting her intense stare at nothing.

" Huh? Oh...well, all y'all know he's as shady as a'oak, s'not much." Rogue was telling the truth in a sense, she knew that she had information that the others didn't have, but the memories and knowledge she attained would go unnoticed by her until she tried tapping into them. After all, why would you ever attempt to remember something that was irrelevant to your life? It was as if you were trying to remember how to perform heart surgery when your life was dedicated to baking. Much of the time Rogue never knew if she acquired a knew ability or memory until something triggered it, or in the case of Gambit, she really didn't want to try looking, because she was afraid of stumbling onto something she didn't want to know.

" Who was that kid that came to the school? What could have set Gambit off like that?" Scott asked, he was very concerned about going into an assignment without back ground information. The flight to New Orleans had been awkward and silent; he wanted to break the tension with preparing a possible plan. It was very close to the Spring Break holiday and the air was busy above them, as planes at higher altitudes ushered in thousands of people ready to celebrate in the tradition, and highways were packed below with eager crowds of road tripping out-of-towers with the same goal. The helicopter managed to stay unnoticed as they were able to get just ahead of the swelling traffic. Scott was concerned about the crowds of people ready to celebrate, there was an increased chance someone could be hurt with how many people would soon flood the city.

"Well, we're only a little less blind, anything you can share will help." Scott pushed. Rogue's comment had made him all the more eager for answers. The idea of not knowing what he was jumping into was making him edgy.

"The lil'boy, Ah'm sure you can put that together yerself. He was a message fer someone that wants Gambit here. Did the boy mention anything about his father or family?" Rogue's guess was a good one. In her experience the only thing that caused Gambit to act like that was when his family was involved, especially his father. Rogue couldn't help but be empathetic, not enough to stop being mad at him, but still generously empathetic.

"No, but he did say something right before he got upset, something like: personal and jams dit...que voo ave a problem audition, lay oncle...or something." Scott said struggling to remember all he had heard.

" Personne n'a jamais dit que vous aviez un problème d'audition , l'oncle?" Rogue replied. It was though the words simply fell out of her mouth. She did not understand French but Remy did and her knowledge of the language was simply tapped from him.

"That's it! What does it mean?" Scott said mildly surprised.

"Ah don't know, Ah just knew what you were tryin' ta say." Rogue was always a little jarred whenever something triggered an acquired memory and it popped into her head like that. Unless you knew Rogue personally, it tended to make her sound like a liar.

"The kid called him 'Uncle'. Sounds like family ta me." Logan had been fluent in French when he lived in Canada but that was over 50 years ago and he hadn't had a reason to use the language since. He had a feeling he was going to need it, as they quickly were approaching New Orleans.

" Think the helicopter will sink?" Bobby was attempting to make jokes about the swampy terrine to cut the tension of this serious flight, but he was failing, but Rogue couldn't have been more distracted. She was navigating the helicopter to land in the proper location; she was trying to recall the location of where the plantation house Gambit and herself had broken into to retrieve his kidnapped father. As well as remaining far enough away to remain unnoticed.

"This lookin' familiar?" Logan asked as they approached the dark swamp land. Sunlight was choked into shadows on the sunniest of days by the trees that grew tightly together. Ruins of once luxurious civil war era homes were hidden among different shades of green, creating a lush landscape. If you looked close enough, different sorts of river inhabiting wildlife made the surface of the water move, if you looked closer you could see abandoned or hidden cemeteries and churches among the overgrown poplar trees and flooded by the consuming river.

"Yeah, but that ain't the problem." Rogue said shaking her head, as they hovered over the familiar patch of land with a smaller oasis surrounding it. The Rippers chose this spot because it was land locked and isolated, and now it was seemingly abandoned.

" Do we really need another problem?" Bobby asked, as he peered down over the structure. He would never admit how excited he was, he had never been to New Orleans before and he certainly never had a chance to be there during spring break.

" What kind of problem? " Scott almost sounded as though he were demanding an answer.

" See for yourself." Rogue was no longer looking at the place she remembered, it was a postwar zone. The obvious crumpled structure had no ceiling, it looked like there had been a huge fire. Rogue was sure that this was where she had led Gambit months ago to retrieve his kidnapped father. Among the ruins, the only thing that still remained were the boat launches and paths leading to the deteriorating remains of the old plantation house and ancient servant quarters.

"It looks abandoned." Scott remarked, he was disappointed. This meant that they had lost the one lead they had to their missing teammate. If they couldn't find him on their own then that meant they were going to have to ask around.

"Did the no-ceiling give it away?" Rogue said in a sassy and irritated way, the attitude was due to her annoyance with Gambit and Scott imposing his dominance, but mostly Gambit.

"Great, how did you know to come here in the first time?" Logan asked.

"Gave one o'them Rippers a touch n'got all of the information Ah needed." Rogue had no intention of going back to the club she had confront the Rippers at. Gambit had assured her that she was safe with him but to never return, these people were unpredictable. Scott, however, had missed the memo.

"Rogue, land within walking distance of the city. You got information of location and who was who before, you can do it again." Scott said almost coldly. Scott was sure this would be how they would catch up to Gambit and that they would get information. At least there was a good chance they would cross paths with Gambit before too long. He had all confidence in the world that his team could extract the information needed from these people and find Gambit in the next 12 hours.

"Right." Rogue said in an uncertain tone she was weary to go back to that dangerous place but she had survived the last time and this time she was with her team. She would be fine, so she thought.

* * *

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

Remy LeBeau walked down the hidden streets of New Orleans, you would never know that these streets even existed if you hadn't been forced to live on them like he did. He came upon a two-story tenement, where men looking to buy time with a professional date would come. It was a very popular brothel, filled with a number of women who saw no other option than to sell themselves. The lost and drug addicted littered the alley in hopes to buy or sell any number of addictions.

"Here we go." Remy thought as he re-accumulated himself to the environment he was, unfortunately, raised in.

~*~Is that?~*~ A voice to the side of him said. The dealers and the addicts looked up one by one, it was a bit of a homecoming.

~*~Well, well, well! The prodigal son come home!~*~ The older prostitutes and dealers that could still remember the young Thief-son when he was sent away to live on the streets, called after him and whispered to one another. When the prince of organized crime comes back to the kingdom it couldn't help but cause a stir.

"Home again, home again." Remy thought, as no one stopped him from stepping into the brothel and walking into the forbidden back rooms. Remy would joke to himself about how he didn't even know places had front rooms until he moved out of New Orleans and into the real world. Two large men with large guns stood in front of a heavy metal door. Remy approached it with little apprehension. One of the two guards, the one Remy didn't recognize, began to reach for him but was abruptly stopped by the other.

"Long time, Remy." The guard that Remy recognized said.

" He here?" Remy asked, not interested in any conversation.

"Ain't he always?" The guard answered, as he let Remy pass. He even opened the door for him. Behind the thick heavy door was a vastly different environment than the rest of the building. It was a gaudy gold and white French-inspired suite. Expensive furniture occupied the room, complete with expensive paintings in ornate frames. Remy nearly rolled his eyes at the audacious room complete with hot-tub populated with young naked working girls, sipping champagne. They were trying to enjoy the perks that their boss permitted them, until they were interrupted by the handsome stranger with the strangest red eyes. They watched nervously as the long-haired man stepped in front of their boss. To their relief, their boss looked up at the man and smiled.

"Well if it ain't org'nized money!" Onyx "Sweetness" Sweet said, he was an old time pimp, who had been dealing in flesh since the early sixties and knew the Lebeau's very well. The women in the hot-tub understood the importance of the visitor and attempted to gain his attention by smiling and groping each other playfully.

"Don' call me dat. When's de last time we did business together?" Remy asked, his attitude was almost as relaxed as it was good-natured. The average person would have been very nervous around this man surrounded by his drugs and the obvious guns poking from underneath his long coat. The wet naked prostitutes would saunter by Remy to inspect him and the conversation, they knew better then to interrupt their boss and they didn't say a word as they smiled and tried to be noticed.

" Looks like we 'bout ta do business now." Sweetness perked up and put down whatever he was reading to give Remy his full attention. He was excited to see the young man all grown up and being the opportunist that he was, wondered if Remy was getting back into the game. And if he was, than it would be time to call in the favors he had done for Remy when he was a young homeless mutant, but much had changed since Remy was last in town.

" Not really, Ah jus' need information, Ah can't find m' father. Where de hell de Thevies at?" Remy asked. Usually, all he would need to do was whistle down an alley and his people would pop up, he never had to go looking for them like this before. It was unsettling, and it was forcing him tract down old acquaintances for information. If there was ever anything Remy could count on, it was Sweetness staying put with an ear to the street. If anyone could point him in the right direction it was old Sweetness.

" Now see, some information like dat, dat's goin' ta cost you." Sweetness smiled at him, he knew it was in his best interests to look after the son of New Orleans' biggest organized crime families, but not without a service fee. When Remy was a kid that didn't understand street life very well, Sweetness was more than happy to offer a helping hand, if only for the sake of a good relationship with the Thieves Guild, but now he was a grown man.

" Couyon asshole! Even after all dat money Ah put in fo' you?" Remy said in fake outrage. His family had taught him very well, he knew how to steal and always have money in his pocket so he could pay and avoid owing anybody anything, including Sweetness. However a time came when he needed a different sort of help, and one of Sweetness' 'employees' would need to assist Remy anywhere between 2 to 5 times a day for five months, and he ran up quite a tab.

" Ha! Well now, dat's de truth! But you ain't been puttin' money in fo' me lately n' dat's gonna cost you!" Sweetness laughed and smiled, as Remy reached into his pocket and tossed him a Chicago bankroll. He felt the weight of the money in his hand and was satisfied with how heavy it was, he then placed it next to a small pile of cocaine on the table to the right of him.

"Now where de Theives at? It's like Ah can't find no one no mo'." Remy asked, normally it would have been a very stupid move to be seen with so much money and to give it away so freely, but Remy held quite a status in these kind of places and in this town; no one would dare rob him or even attempt something so stupid, his reputation surpassed itself. The two hot-tub prostitutes eyes went wide as the thick roll of money was exchanged, and they were becoming annoyed with the lack of attention.

" 'Cause dey went undergroun'...you n'endangered animal now." Sweetness smiled, Remy had been gone for some time and Sweetness, compared to Remy's family, was a small-time player but he always managed to know everyone's business.

" Ain't no one gonna just up an' move like dat!" Remy could believe his ears. What Sweetness would say next would cause his blood to run cold.

"Ripper-Assassins pushed 'em on out." Sweetness said, shaking his head. Remy was told the Rippers gang were a generic and feeble attempt at using the street credit of the few remaining members of the Assassins Guild after a majority of them were killed and Thieves took over. His father had told him they were a joke and posed no more threat than a low level street gang. He said that the Rippers were just using the Assassin name to establish a reputation for themselves. However, shortly after, the same 'low level gang' successfully kidnapped his father and they had way more excess to weapons and man power than any 'low level' gang Remy had ever seen. They even established themselves a house of operations in the bayou that was so complex that he needed Rogue to lead him through. Everything about it was the calling card of a seasoned Assassin, but Remy kept himself wrapped up in a thick cloud of denial.

"Rippers ain't Assassins, you gettin' yo'self confused ol'man!" Remy said, the fear was now growing in his voice, because if there was anything that Sweetness never was, it was a lair.

" Ah's ain't confused! De Theives n' yo'Daddy, fought de good fight n' went out ta de bayou n' burnt down de Ripper- Assassin hidey-ho! Burnt it ta de ground! De one dey took yo'Daddy to!" Sweetness was still as sharp as he ever was, and he was right. After Remy and the X-men had saved his father and Remy had gone back up north, Jean-Luc, Remy's father, had wasted no time to go back out to the Ripper's hideout to destroy it. They found it deserted, but set it on fire any how.

"Wha'?! M'father never tol' me nothin'! Ah thought it was de Rippers, not Assassins! Assassins Guide is gone, you know dat!" Remy fought the ugly truth, but Sweetness wasn't lying. It was painful to have the comfort of denial ripped away from him, he always knew deep down that his father knew more than he was telling, but he didn't have to face it til now.

" Wake up, young blood! Dem groups one n' de same! Maybe yo' Daddy don' wanna believe it. N' maybe you didn't hear nothin' 'cause dey fought de battle but lost de war." Sweetness said, shaking his head. In the time between Remy's last visit to right now, the tides of power had shifted from the Thieves controlling every corner of the southern coast to Assassins taking complete control.

" Ah was only here a few months back! How dis all go down?!" Remy could no longer run and be deaf to the truth. He had to finally accept what Sweetness was saying and it was what he had suspected all along but was not ready to face.

" Sad ta say Ah missed you de last time you was here. Heard you blew up de city last Mardi Gras!" Sweetness laughed among the seriousness of the conversation.

"Sweet! M'Ah Father! De Thieves! What happened?!" Remy snapped to keep the old man focused.

" Okay, Okay, baby! No need ta go off like dat! So yo' Daddy was throwin' shoulders after you left, actin' all big. You ask me, he look scared as hell n' he knew somethin' was a'comin' fo'em." Sweetness recalled, he remembered the anger and ego Jean-Luc had displayed to hide the stress and fear the impending Assassin take over was causing him. The only thing trickier than being king was staying king.

"N'den?!" Remy asked, the fear finally breaking into his voice.

"N' den nothin'. Thinkin' what ever he thought was comin'...came, now he gone n'you here. Last time Ah run across yo'Daddy was 'bout a week after dey went on up ta de Assassin's hideout n' burnt it like a bonfire! Dat was almost a month back." Sweetness again shook his head as he recalled the events leading up to the fall of Remy's family. For a moment Remy hung his head to maintain and processed what Sweetness had told him.

"Where dey hole up now?" Remy asked without raising his head. He needed to find the Assassins, if he found them he would find his father. He had no other choice, and just as terrifying as if he found out his father were dead, he would finally find out what had happened to Belladonna.

"Dat Ah don' know...but Ah know who do. You can fin' some of de small-time rollers at de Old Cat Club, Assassins o' Rippers, o' wha'ever you wanna call 'em, always be there. You got yo'money's worth yet?" Sweetness asked, he was uneasy giving up all of this information, he could see the man was crushed. The next bit of information would be risky for him to repeat, but he had to for old times sake and he really did like how the Thieves ran things.

"What kinda help can some small time wannabe Assassins do fo' me? Last time Ah came back dey changed up everythin'! At least Ah had an idea o' mah father was, but now Ah ain't got nothin' ta go on." Remy said clenching his fists. Last time we had Rogue to guide him, now he was flying blind; no way would some newbie Assassin know such intimate information. Sweetness was his last chance to get information that he could rely on.

" Ain't got nothin' exactly...Dem small time rollers hang wit' Noly Elmsworth." Sweetness smiled and waited for the Thief to connect the dots.

" De bulidin' contractor?" Remy hadn't heard that name in years. Not only was Noly Elmsworth a building contractor, he was the Al Capone of illegal setups; from back rooms, to dungeons, to hidden bunkers or even a good old-fashioned speakeasy he was the master of false walls. He did everything off the books and he was exactly what a big time crime syndicate called for. The one thing every criminal needed was a secret room in order to conduct their business and Noly was the man to call.

" Holy Noly! De criminal carpenter himself, n' Ah know fo'a fact he not only built de new Assassin Maison, but he laid it all out too! It be almost done, but it ain't done yet... n'we both know how he do." Sweetness smiled at Remy.

"He'll have de floor plans on him..." Remy almost sounded relieved. It was a glimmer of real hope, a chance to know the layout of the Assassins home base before the Assassins themselves had a chance to become accustom to it. Noly was essentially an artist and he always had plans of his unfinished projects on him at all times. He was a genius when it came to building structures and he took his work very seriously; that's why he always kept it close to his heart and in the hidden pocket of his inside jacket. Remy had noticed it when he was a kid, the square piece of paper always out lining on the inside of this coat. From a very early age he was trained to notice small details like that, it was how you got the upper hand if you wanted to find out a person secrets without asking them a question.

" Welcome home, Remy." Sweetness continued to smile with his gold plated grill and knew if anyone could pick pocket Noly's floor plans it was the youngest of the Lebeau sons.

" Magnifique..." Remy sighed, this is turning into the worst kind of scavenger hunt and it was a little trickier than simply picking a pocket. Noly knew him, and knew his face. So far, no one knew he was back in town, this was going to require a heavy distraction while he stole those plans.

"Since you 'ere, lookin' at spend some time wit' Lacey?" Sweetness suggested. Remy hadn't thought of that name in years. Lacey was the one and only of Sweetness' girls he would spend any time with.

"Dat's over. Ah'm good now" Remy said, and though it would have been good to see a friendly face, this was no time to catch up with old friends.

"Ain't we all?" Sweetness said, but Remy was already in a hurry to leave the room and rush to get outside. The hot-tub girls were visibly disappointed and wondered if he would return.

* * *

~*~My God, Remy LeBeau is that you?" Mary Agnes Delatour, otherwise known as "Lacey", watched as the attractive young man with an intense focus rushed from her boss's office and run down the alley. She could have sworn she recognized him. After she was sure that he was gone, she went into the brothel and stopped the two women that had just gotten out of the hot-tub and immediately began questioning her fellow "co-workers".

" Do you all know who that was?" Lacey asked.

" Whoever he was he wasn't interested in us..." One of the girls said in a disappointing way.

"It was a shame too, he was fine as hell." The other remarked, shaking her head and wrapping a robe around her naked body.

" Would be happy ta do his ass fo'free!" The two began to laugh in a agreement. Lacey had no patience for their small talk.

" Would you two bitches shut up! Ah need ta know what they said in there." Lacey demanded, as she grabbed one of the girls by the wrist. The girl was, understandably, surprised by the seriousness of Lacey's tone.

"Damn, okay! He was lookin' fo'his daddy." She quickly answered, as she tried to pull away from Lacey's firm grip.

"N'talkin' 'bout some gang shit." The other girl added, her voice was sassy and irrated by the way Lacey grabbed her friend.

"What kinda gang shit?" Lacey demanded, she had a very strong inclination she was right.

"Ah don' know! You know we new 'round here and you know you don't have ta be grabbin' on a bitch, right?" The girl said, as Lacey released her grip, the other girl spoke up.

"They said something 'bout Thieves n' Assassins, n'Rippers o'somethin' like dat. What you care?" She asked.

"He a friend o'mine." Lacey admitted to the girls. They both looked at each other and smiled.

"How do Ah get me some o'dem friends!" Again the girls began to giggle in agreement, "Lacey?" When the girls looked up Lacey had already turned her back on them and was walking down the hall.

"Rude bitch." One of the girls remarked, as they made their way upstairs.

~*~ "Will I ever see you without troubles, Remy? Then again you have never seen me without mine. The one thing that brought us together, no?~*~ Lacey thought, she never understood how someone so beautiful and charming could have so many unbelievable problems. She thought of the months they spent together. When they met he was probably only fifteen years old and as handsome as he was scrawny. He hadn't eaten in almost three days due to an unbelievable condition.

 _(Years ago...)_

~*~ Aggie! Aggie! It's happening again! ~*~ Remy called out, right after something that sounded like a firework, went off in her kitchen. She immediately understood the situation and ran to her frightened house guest.

~*~Remy you fool! How many times do I have to tell you! You let me make you breakfast until you're sure you can touch stuff?~*~ Mary Agnes said as she looked over the mess, at this rate she was going to have to buy new plates and mugs every week. The young man that she allowed to live with her had some sort of inconceivable condition where sometimes he could touch things and they would be fine, other times they would, incredibly, explode. ~*~" Were you going to try feeding yourself too?! You would have blown your mouth off that pretty face!~*~

~*~" I know, but I felt okay today! I dressed myself without any problems and I was even able to hold my toothbrush!~*~ Remy protested, he was having a great morning until he tried picking up a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee. He must have held the mug too long and without warning it began to glow and it exploded. As always, he felt horrible, even though he was paying for her, she had been very good to him. She didn't have to let him sleep over night after night. The first few weeks they were together Remy couldn't touch anything longer than a few seconds before it exploded. Lacey would open doors for him, brush his hair and teeth, change his clothes, and feed him.

~*~ But you know once you're fully awake it starts acting up! Oh no! Was that my favorite froggie-face mug?~*~ She whined in disappointment, as she swept up the mess.

~*~ Yeah...it was the frog one. And I know, but I felt okay when I woke up...I felt...you know. ..normal.~*~ Remy said casting his eyes downward, ~*~" Are you mad at me? ~*~ She turn to him with a hand on her hip, and decided that it was impossible to be angry at this helpless, gorgeous young man.

~*~It'll be okay come here.~*~ She said giving him a kiss on the head. She continued on with her morning routine and made breakfast for herself and Remy. ~*~You're going to be okay don't get upset. This will pass. It's been happening less and less everyday. Haven't you noticed?"~*~ She said placing a piece of cheese into Remy's mouth. He shook his head as he chewed. He then held up his hands to inspect them.

~*~ What is this, Aggie? People should not be able to do this!~*~ Remy said, as he accepted a grape Mary Agnes placed in his mouth. When it first started he thought it would stop, but it didn't. At first he could keep it relatively under control, but after the ugliness of his wedding and being sent away by his father, his ability seemed to be going through some growing pains.

~*~ No use thinking about this now. Drink.~*~ She said as she tipped a coffee mug to his lips and let him sip. ~*~ We gotta get to work and it's not like we can go to any doctor, you know?"~*~ She reasoned.

~*~" Aggie, as long as I'm here you don't need to go on anymore dates."~*~ Remy announced through a mouth full of bread. He was incredibly grateful for his friend, Sweetness was her pimp and had 'assigned' Remy to her. At first he felt like an obligation because of his powerful father, but after no time at all they had become fast friends. Remy's father had ordered Sweetness to take care of his son while he fought an all out war against the last remaining members of the Assassins Guild. The quiet, bloody war would be fought for nearly a year before Jean-Luc Lebeau and his Thieves Guild could completely crush the Assassins out of existence. Jean-Luc went through extensive lengths to make sure his son stayed hidden and relatively close by. He remembered his father promising Sweetness an offer to expand his business into drug supplying as well as a wider area for the his prostitution of his "Sweet Girls" as long as he did right by his son. They both got exactly what they wanted.

~*~" Is that right? You keep on eating this way and blowing up my dishes, I think I'll be putting in some extra time on my back!" ~*~ Agnes laughed she said lighting a cigarette for herself. Remy watched the graceful way she would pull a Gaulosises brand cigarette from its cobalt blue box, and held it between her lips and swiftly lit it as she fed her young guest. He would end up smoking the same brand of French cigarette because of her, no other kind would do.

~*~" I'm a great thief! You've seen me! Remember that day I picked over $1500? And we used those credit cards to buy us all of those clothes?"~*~ Remy smiled, as Aggie shoved an orange slice into his mouth. To Remy she was one of the loveliest women he had ever seen, her skin was a lovely light mocha color, like when you add a little too much creamer to a deep black coffee and she had a beautiful flourish of almost reddish-brown hair; she grew it out naturally in a soft, slightly curly, Afro. Her light brown eyes went from a burning intensity to a soft warm light when ever she looked at him. Remy had never had a mother, this may have been the closest Remy had ever come to one.

~*~" Yeah and that was a great day, but how do you plan on taking those wallets when you're blowing up everything you touch?"~*~ Agnes reasoned, he was sweet to offer, but it was unrealistic. She couldn't help but be in love with this young man, no male ever wanted to take of her, for the exception of Sweetness.

~*~" Not if you stay close to me and I pass off whatever I grab to you. Can we try it today? Please? I don't like you with all those guys."~*~ Remy said shaking his head. He knew she didn't like the idea, but he really wanted to try. Ever since his hands started exploding things, other things were changing as well. Every time he tried to convince someone to do something, they actually did it. For a moment he thought he was just becoming a better talker, but it was happening so often it had to be connected to his ability to explode things. In addition to his ability to persuade and blowing up things, movement was so much easier, he was getting faster and he almost couldn't believe how agile he was; scaling the sides of buildings and jumping rooftops was incredibility easy. If only he could get his hands under control, life would start getting on the right track.

~*~" Let me tell you something, Remy, you do whatever you have to, to survive. I don't mind doing what I'm doing. You use your talents. No matter what the job is, okay?"~*~ Agnes assured him.

~*~" You sound like my father."~*~ Remy said in a disappointing pout.

~*~" From what I understand your father is a smart man."~*~ Agnes watched Remy's face go from a smile to a disappointed frown.~*~" Okay. Fine. I hate it when you make that face. Let's do today your way. But! Just for today. Okay?"~*~ Agnes was surprised, she would normally not be so easily convinced but she found herself taking every suggestion this young man offered her. Normally she was so selfish and ever since she met Remy she found herself making great strides to not disappoint him. She took great satisfaction in making him happy, it was strange to say the least.

~*~" Yeah! You'll see I'll control it! I'll make so much money today you won't have to do any dates! You won't have to be 'Lacey' anymore!"~*~ Remy said excitedly. Agnes couldn't help but smile, at that point in her life no one had ever been so sweet to her. For that reason, Remy would always hold a special place in her heart.

"...You was right, Remy. Ah didn't need ta take no dates while you was with me...What's wrong with you now?" It was years later and she still felt then as she did now. Perhaps it was a maternal instinct, but even after more than ten years later she still saw him as that kid who tried to treat her like a queen.

* * *

Remy stood in front of a store that used to be a restaurant that served as one of the fronts for his father's business. He tried to block out many of the conversations and what he had saw in those back rooms behind the kitchen. He couldn't deny that they were real memories, a real part of his childhood. And as hard as his father tried to make him feel normal among the violence that went along with the family business, he never did. However, he took very well to everything else and showed unusually high promise in the area of high stakes cat-burglary. But he could never be as violent as his father wanted him to be, it simply wasn't in him. Remy tried to focus on the best part of this place, which was its kitchen. He had learned from his aunts, uncles and the other gifted chefs that would come through the kitchen; usually illegal immigrants that would never speak of what they heard coming from those back rooms. These immigrants were from all over France, Africa, Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico and they were all willing to show their boss' little son their talents. He learned so much from them and he struggled to stave off what he learned from this father.

 _(Many years ago...)_

"Do you have my money?"~*~ Jean-Luc asked with a smile on his face. He rarely had to personally deal with individuals not paying back loans but when that loan is for 50k he liked to see to it with his own personal touch. ~*~" Randy? I asked you a question. I'm getting really tired of you dodging me and now you won't talk to me? "~*~ Jean-Luc look over the 57 year old man and he was a sorry sight: hands shaking, his shoulders trembling, with his eyes wide and beginning the water; he was terrified he had been an obsessive gambler for nearly 20 years and he just couldn't help himself. He knew he had reached rock bottom when he asked a longtime acquaintance to help him to pay back debts after several bad wagers.

"Dat's real rude, Mr. Wallace." Darius Fontaine said as he stood behind him. He had been a strong man for the Thieves guide since he was 16, shortly after he had gotten quite the growth spurt, he was now a man of thirty and a master of his craft. He looked over the man as well and took a step forward so he was uncomfortably close to the trembling man. He watched as Jean-Luc continued to smile and tried to make eye contact with Randy, but he refused to look him in the eye.

" Its okay! Its okay, baby!" Jean Luc laughed, "C'mon! Have a seat, Randy, have a drink." Clearly Randy hadn't expected that and he was becoming a little less nervous as he sat down at the poker table. Jean-Luc slowly poured both of them a small glass of bourbon, and then seated himself. Once Randy was sure that Darius wasn't going to come any closer he finally spoke.

"Ah-ah kn-know Ah been owin' you fo' a while now." Randy said as he wrung his withered hands repeatedly, trying to stop them from shaking. Jean-Luc was purposely taking his sweet time, the tension on Randy's face was painful to look at. Everyone knew the reputation the Thieves Guide had and at the time Randy thought he had no choice but to go to them for money. When you're desperate and you have terrible addiction you tend to forget the horrible stories people repeated to each other about the Thieves Guide. Ironically, the only thing Mr. Wallace could now think of were those horrible stories.

"Well, now dat some truth, ain't it? Darius?" Jean-Luc agreed as his smile faded and now looked disappointed.

"Yeah, sho'nuff." Darius agreed as he stood behind the old man's chair and looked down at him. Darius was nearly six foot six and towered over the old man who appeared even smaller compared to the hulking muscular man behind him with his arms crossed. Darius was very dark-skinned and he blended in with the black T-shirt and pants he wore; to the point where he looked like an intimidating solid mass preparing to for something.

"Ah extended dat friendship loan fo'ya. Ah even broke up dem payments 'cause we go way back, n' you still didn' make 'em, kept comin' up short. Yo' times up." Jean-Luc said sternly before Darius grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down into the seat leaving him unable to move.

" Jean-Luc, p-p-please! A-Ah just need time! A little, little bit of time, please!" Tears began to pour from his begging eyes, as Darius painfully clutched the small man's shoulders.

"Please , show a little dignity..." Jean-Luc's eyes seemed to go cold and dead, as he then retrieved a hammer from a drawer and slowly walked over to his sobbing guest.

"Je-Jean...!" Randy was so terrified he couldn't say anything more as Jean-Luc slammed the steel hammer down onto the old man's wrist, he screamed in pain. Jean-Luc continued to butcher his hands with the hammer until he was distracted by the slight sniffling of his little son. Jean-Luc turned to him and smiled, stopped his vicious chore and for a moment, he put the hammer aside and knelt down in front of his little boy.

~*~" Remy, my heart, my son tell me. Why do we do this?"~*~ Jean Luc spoke gently to his little boy as he took a break from administering his violent punishment. Remy fought tears as he attempted to reply to his father's question, the blood all over his father's hands was now touching his small shoulder and it scared him.

~*~" T-to send...~*~" Remy was only capable of shaking out two words before he lost momentum.

~*~" See? You know. Tell your papa."~*~ his father spoke sweetly and encouragingly as he attempted to teach his son a lesson. His kind voice and loving manner contrasted deeply to the violence he had just witnessed, with the blood on his father's hands and the hammer at his side, Jean-Luc continued to smile.

~*~" To send a message."~*~ Remy timidly repeated as his father's eyes lit up.

~*~" That's it!"~*~ Jean-Luc answered, proud of his son. Even under pressure and at the tender age of six he still managed to think clearly even though he was terrified John-Luc felt this was a far more valuable lesson that Remy could never learn in any school.

"You a smart one, Remy!" Darius smiled warmly at the little boy, as he took an extension cord and tied it around the crying man's neck. For a moment he did want to stop for the boys sake, he knew he would never want his little son ever seeing him do such a thing, but Remy was meant for things his own son wasn't. He was from a different family, this would be his life. This would be his business, it would be best that he should learn now while he was still young before he could choose another path in life.

~*~" Go on back to the kitchen, son. Make your papa something special."~*~ Jean-Luc said just before he hugged his son. Perhaps this was difficult for his son to witness but Jean-Luc felt Remy was strong enough to handle it, Remy was his son after all.

~*~" C-Coq au vin?"~*~ the little boy replied beginning to feel a little more comfortable his father's loving hug and Remy was proud to make his father so happy.

~*~" Coo-wee! Remy that sounds perfect!"~*~ "Darius! Ain't mah boy perfect?" Jean-Luc replied to the the boy's culinary suggestion and it was exactly what he wanted: business-as-usual, normal as usual; even though the business that they had was far from usual.

" Coq au vin? Ain't no baby know how ta make Coq au vin!" Darius replied in a doubtful yet happy tone. It was disturbingly friendly and warm conversation among the crying of the old man begging for his life. Darius continued to have a happy face for little Remy as he tied a noose intended for hanging the hysterical man, whom was now lying on the floor. This was the type of conversation that family would have among each other a family gathering, but in a warped sense, that's exactly what was happening, this was family conversation and sadly this was a family activity.

" He do! You see, Go on now, go on ta yo t'auntie n' sho' Darius you know yo' way 'round dat Coq au vin!" Jean Luc said proudly, as he sent him on his way. He now seamlessly shifted gears and returned to his pitiful guest. Darius pulled the crying bloody man to knees, and he looked up at Jean-Luc's cold eyes, that were warm only a moment before, and again he begged.

"NO! Please! Ah's got babies at home! Please, Jean Luc! They be needin' they daddy!" Randy begged and pleaded, his fingers jutted and pointed in a twisted unnatural ways, broken and beyond repair. His scream extinguished into a squeaking choke when Darius tightened the noose around his neck, and he pulled the extension cord tightly to force Randy to his feet. The last thing the dead man would see tonight before the real torture began was the face of the little boy in the crack of the door, the child's red and black eyes confirmed it, the child was a demon and his father was indeed the devil.

" A daddy like you? They best wit'out." Jean-Luc's voice was like ice as the man's face turned a swollen red to purple color as the cord tightened around his neck. They would slowly hang him to death, allowing him to touch his toes to the ground so that his suffering was prolonged. The two men would see to it that he agonized for almost two hours. They would torment him for the sake of sending their message: Thieves ruled this city.

Remy remembered every moment of that traumatic night. He would hold on to it through his adulthood and even now it seems like it happened only yesterday. The kitchen and its restaurant were gone now, and with it, every horror of those back rooms. Now it had been redone, the storefront had transformed into a alternative type of boutique selling all manners of corsetry and historical wardrobe that would have walked the streets of New Orleans nearly a hundred years ago.

~*~" They really did it...Oh God...Bell is this you?"~*~ Remy prayed that Bell wasn't doing the things their fathers did, and he hoped to find his people. And if it were true that the Thieves had moved out and he was an endangered species, just like Sweetness had said, he was going to have to be as invisible as possible. He knew that he could go to the Old Cat Club that the Assassins frequented but if any possibility of the rumors being true that the Assassins ran things now he'd be walking into a death trap. And since his father had been kidnapped before, he was unsure if possibly his presence would put his father's life in danger, so he would scout the building for now. He planned to scale the building in front of the club and from the rooftop and he would watch for a good opportunity, possibly, the spring break crowd could cause enough commotion where he could find Noly undetected and snatch his floor plans.

* * *

"He definitely went down this way." Logan said as his highly sensitive sense of smell locked on to their runaway teammate. It was comforting that the trail leading to Gambit was still warm enough that Logan could pick it out among all the other smells of delicious cooking food, street filth, perfumes, incense from Voodoo and Hoodoo shops.

"Ugh." Scott muffled himself, this place went against all of his sensibilities. He was never the type to enjoy many of the dangerous or exciting things guys his age enjoyed like strip clubs, drinking benders, or partying of any kind. He loved rules and structure, they were comforting and consistent; spontaneity was something he tried to avoid and he hated surprises, so of course walking in the footsteps of their law breaking teammate was extremely uncomfortable. The people that lurked in this alley were a sobering reminder of why he loved laws and by comparison, his bad decisions weren't so bad.

"Down there?" Bobby looked down the alley and immediately noticed the shivering junkie, no older than himself, searching the ground for discarded cigarettes to calm the pains of detoxing. Nearly a dozen of women in various ages and states of sobriety wearing transparent clothing and stilt-like high heels, eyed the four strangers and tried to figure out their business here. " Whoa, hoe-stroll..." Bobby remarked as some of the women, some as young as Rogue, attempted to make eye contact with Logan, Scott and even Bobby.

"Shut up, Bobby just walk." Rogue said, "Where to now Logan? " She asked trying to ignore the unsettling sexual element.

"Straight down the alley. I'm going to get up on the roof and cover you top-side." He said motioning to the parallel rooftops of the opposite brick buildings. " C'mon Bobby. You guys go down the middle and see what you can find out. I'm not planning a confrontation but you never know when Gambit's involved." Logan said. Scott looked disappointed he felt he was being undermined because he thought he would have been the one to give the order not Logan, but it sounded like a good plan nonetheless, and he didn't feel like arguing. Scott cautiously stepped into the alley with Rogue at his side and they prepared themselves for anything. Logan tapped a distracted Bobby on the shoulder and urged him to come long with him to scale the building around the corner.

" Can't I go with them? " Bobby asked eyeing the half naked girls smiling at him. "I'm good...at question...asking questions." He said hopelessly distracted.

"No." Logan said firmly as he grabbed Bobby by the nape of his uniform and pulled him out of the alley.

"Okay, Ah guess it's up to us to try to get some information out of somebody." Rogue was determined to walk out of that alley with information on where to find Remy. She some how knew that she was going to have to be the one asking the questions. Logan was too valuable to not be covering them and Bobby was too immature and distracted to ask effective questions, and Scott lacked all of the finesse to talk to the people here, that made him useless.

"Everyone here looks like they rather shoot us than talk to us." Scott said, and he wasn't completely wrong, there were all walks of criminal down this hidden alley from the very dangerous to merely the self destructive, whom intended to harm none but themselves. There was a mixture of people staring at them and people trying to avoid eye contact with them. The individuals that were trying to make eye contact were looking to either sell a product, whether it be drugs or themselves. One woman in particular got Rogue's attention, she couldn't help but feel that this person was important . She didn't understand why, but she approached her and trusted her instinct.

" 'Scuse me hun, we're lookin' fer somebody that we know has been in here recently." Rogue approached her with respect and sincerity, she felt that she would appreciate that and for some reason she felt a sense of gratitude toward this person, even though she had never seen her in her life. Rogue had an overwhelming feeling that she was a person that would put a roof over your head even if she didn't know you, and she also felt that this woman very much wanted to take care of someone.

"Ah don' know no one but m'self." She said, she immediately knew who this was about, even though she knew may people that would merit an investigation, she knew Remy was in town and where ever Remy was, people in uniforms asking question was never far behind. She had been reading strangers for practically her entire life, and this girl wasn't necessarily setting off any alarms but the way she was dressed was cause for concern. Their clothes were similar to the shirt Remy had been wearing, similar thick, almost armored material that was the same shade of black and with a patch of a symbol showing a circle with an X in it.

" He's just come ta town n' he might be in some trouble." Rogue said, she found herself trying to remember this person's name, even though there was no way for her to have that information, " Ah don't know you, do Ah? Did Remy know you..." Rogue thought to herself, that would explain her gravitation to this woman.

"Folks don't come ta a woman like me fo'information. " She said pulling a Gaulosises brand cigarette from its cobalt blue box. Remy's brand of cigarette, Rogue remembered how particular he was about that, she was sure she was on to something.

" Ah know you're the business fer things other than information but this is really important. Ah think you might know who Ah'm talkin' about." Rogue said, as she watched her gracefully put the a cigarette to her lips and swiftly light it with a green peace-frog lighter.

" Ah know lots a'people, Chile...Ah could introduce you to lots o'people... pretty thing like you." She said with an menacing smile. She would not give up information so freely, she didn't know these people, and they were asking questions about someone very close to her heart. She had practically been a mother to Remy for over a year, it was one of the best years of her life. She wanted to know the motivations of these strange people, especially this girl with the white streak in her hair and loveliest green eyes.

"Rogue!" Scott immediately took offense to her comment to Rogue; that she would imply that Rogue was of the same quality as a prostitute offended him greatly. She was playing with them, and Scott had no tolerance for it. There was any number of others in this alley that would tell them what they wanted to know.

" Its alright." Rogue assured Scott, " M'Ah apologies, he ain't used ta that type o'compliment. " Rogue assured her, she shot Scott a look to stay out of their conversation. This women knew something and Rogue knew Scott's superior attitude could chase away this lead.

" Rogue, huh?" She gave a somewhat, condescending chuckle at the sound of the girls name. It reminded her of how Remy would get called 'Gambit' every time he gambled; he had a risky habit of taking long shots that always seemed to pay off. Speaking to this girl, this Rogue, came natural to her, she almost thought she might have been asking about Remy with a little love in her voice, but she was far from being sure." Well 'Rogue', looks like yo'friend ain't used ta a lot. Is he lookin' ta try somethin' new?" She pushed their limits, if this was about Remy she needed to be sure she if they were telling the truth. And she really didn't care for the tall young man in the stupid Star Trek-looking sunglasses.

"Trust me. We're not looking to buy. " Scott's lip curled in disgust, at that point, could not muster anymore patience for this woman. He felt he could just as easily move on to a more talkative scumbag and get everything they needed to know from one of them. He didn't understand why Rogue was wasting so much effort on this one.

"Then Ah ain't lookin' ta talk!" The woman snapped, Rogue spun around to speak to her teammate.

" Hold on." Rogue excused herself, as she grabbed Scott by the arm. "Scott you gotta back up n'let me do this, please?" Rogue was strangely being the one to keep the level head. She never knew that Scott had a button that would cause him to lose his cool, she would have never thought it would have been the implication of sex. It would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious, but when they got home she would enjoy telling Jean all about this.

"But-" Scott had never known Rogue to be like this. She was usually more than happy to never play leader but suddenly she had taken on an assertive role. He had always known her to be moody yet sweet, strong and standoffish; but now she seemed different, still sweet but no longer moody and undeniably strong but now she was also warm and oddly charming. Lately she had been dressing differently, she had been pulling her hair out of her face and not wearing such heavy makeup. He never noticed how vivid her green eyes were, and when she spoke sweetly to him it was very difficult to say no to her.

"Sugar, Ah'm askin' again, please." Rogue spoke to him sweetly and softly. To her relief she saw Scott's brow relax, however he crossed his arms, irritated.

" Fine...but I'll be right here." Scott said. He thought this was useless, he hoped Logan and Bobby were watching this.

" N' Ah'll call if Ah need you." She smiled, despite the delicate balance she was playing between her uppity teammate and convincing a hostile prostitute to give up her information. She turned back to face a very impatient woman that was just about fed up with this whole thing. Rogue knew now was a good time to start speaking frankly. " Would you mind terribly if Ah cut the bullshit?"

" Ah would much appreciate that, baby." She replied, taking a long swallow of her French cigarette.

" Do you have any idea where Ah can find Remy?" Rogue asked, she took a chance and went with her instinct and dropped any guard she may have still had. Rogue watched as she smirked at the question and shrugged.

" 'Bout so high, brown eyes, white...n' a real looker?" She asked. Using every question as a way to find out how well this girl knew her friend and exactly how much she cared.

"They sure ain't brown, but he's definitely a looker." Rogue replied, she was positive now, this woman knew Gambit. She completely understood that this was a code, an honor among criminals.

"Ah don' do no business wit' no white folk." She lied as she lit another cigarette. If these people really cared they would work for information.

" Please. Remy's a friend of ours." Rogue said as sincerely as possible. Lacey looked over the girl and her visibly annoyed companion, their uniforms were strongly working against them and no one around here would trust anyone in a uniform, but the girl, Rogue clearly felt personally for Remy. The light in her eyes would flicker when she asked about how she asked about him. She assessed the way she was covered from head to toe, even her name; if any question was worth asking it was the most telling one.

"You special like him?" Lacey asked suspiciously. If these people were the same as Remy they would understand that question.

" Like she said we're friends of his." Scott interjected in a firm tone, despite Rogue's progress, this was going too slow for him and he felt his way was the necessary way to talk with these people. And he didn't like her question. She immediately took offense to Scott's attitude and she had him figured from the moment he approached her. He was a straight shooter, he wouldn't give her the time of day unless she was in trouble; not out of the goodness of his heart but because his type had to do the right thing. That type struck her as phony, a person that would help you because they were better than you; not because they really cared. She had no tolerance for his type, and she was not afraid to let him know what she thought of him.

" Hm, 'friend' be just a word 'round here. A word that you can buy fo' a few hours. Nothin' more. So what'd ya'say, one-eye? Wanna make a friend?" She pushed the boy scout for her own entertainment. To her gratification, she had no issue getting on his nerves.

" This was a waste of our time! Come on Rogue." Scott said angrily as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. He was uncomfortable with the whole situation, and this woman's solicitation of him was grotesque.

"Bye, Rogue." She woman said, almost sadly as she also turned to walk away.

"Wait! Wait ma'am, please! You asked us if we were special like him? Did you mean something like this?" Rogue asked softly as she motioned to her feet. For the sake of finding Remy and for her consideration only, Rogue looked her in the eye as she slowly pulled up her feet and crossed them until she was sitting, cross legged, in mid-air while still eye level with her.

"Rogue!" Scott said quietly and angrily, dissatisfied with her choice of actions. The less anyone knew about them the better, and Rogue freely giving up their secrets was a bad move.

" My Lord... you really flyin'! No strings or nothin'!" Lacey was speechless, just as she was when she had first seen Remy with his strange and alluring black and red eyes and again when he first charged a door handle before it blew off the hinges.

" Please if you know him at all, then you know that he's in trouble n' we're here to help him. Please tell us where he is." Rogue asked as she slowly extended her legs and put both feet firmly on the ground.

"You really care fo' him don't you?" She smiled at Rogue, it warmed her heart to see Rogue blush. Her words were exactly what she wanted to hear.

"...Yes." Rogue admitted, almost ashamed of her feelings. It was a little embarrassing to be read so openly by a stranger.

"Ah can tell. Ah would get the same look on my face when Ah knew he was in trouble n' Ah could help him." She recognized the look in Rogue's eyes immediately. She decided she would help this girl, she was telling the truth and it was the glimmer of love in her eyes that convinced her. Her teammate lingered behind her.

" So, are you going to tell us where he is?" Scott asked impatiently. Her eyes immediately narrowed at the pushy young man.

" Fo' a price." She said looking intensely at Scott as she made her request. Rogue shrugged and reached into her pocket, to her surprised the woman touched Rogue's elbow to motion her hand away from her pocket. " Nu'uh, not you, baby girl." She said, Rogue looked up at her with a questioning look. " You." She said motioning to Scott, as she held out her hand toward him.

"Seriously? " Scott asked at the ridiculous request.

"As a heart attack, dis be business. Ain't no charity fo' what yo'askin'." She took much pleasure in watching Rogue give him a sobering back handed slap to his chest, to which he lamented and Scott dug in his pocket for a $50 bill, which she immediately grabbed and shoved into her bra.

" Ok you find him at the old Cats Club down the street. He lookin' fo' his daddy n'if he's lucky he won't find him. Rogue, tell him Aggie says hello." She said her voice sounded worried, as she looked into Rogue's vivid grass-green eyes.

"Thank so much, Aggie. Ah'll be sure ta tell him." Rogue said will relief and appreciation. She even reached out to touch Rogue's gloved hand.

" Take care of him, Rogue." She said thoughtfully, she then released Rogue's hand and turned to Scott. "By the way one-eye, you might see me as just some dumb old whore, but it don't take no straight-arrow ta see you that you won't get real far walkin' 'round like dat." She then motioned to his uniform. Even though Scott was clearly not impressing her, she understood he was here to help her Remy and any advice she could give them to aid in their rescue, the better. She then walked away from them and toward the brothel.

" Remind me again why we're doing this. I'm going to need a serious shower after this." Scott had been uncomfortable, disgusted and insulted in the short time he had been down that filthy alley and he was very eager to be done and quickly began to walk to the sunlit street.

" Ain't gonna say Ah approve, but this ain't our lives, Scott." Rogue looked over to her right to see a shaking junkie begging for a taste of her addiction from a man no older than Scott, and with a hungry look in his eye. Rogue turned away quickly, and accepted the sad and frustration fact that they couldn't help everyone.

"You can't be serious, Rogue. This is disgusting...even for Gambit. " Scott said as he couldn't help but judge and elevate himself above the sad occupants in this dark place. Rogue understood Scott's reaction, but his ignorance of why some people's bad decisions worked out worse than others was unfair to her.

" Do ya know why men buy women, Scott?" Rogue asked in a firm tone. Scott raised his eyebrow at Rogue's strange and inappropriate question.

"You mean to tell me you know?" Scott asked out of surprise, as they headed out of the dark alley and to they bright street where Logan and Bobby were waiting for them.

" Other than the obvious, they pay them not to judge. Some people ain't given the option ta make the make the right decisions. Just survival, we know that better n'most." Rogue said, she wasn't happy with a lot of her own life decisions, but she truly believed that it would only take about two or three bad decisions and she could just as easily ended up in an alley like that. Scott took a moment to mull over what Rogue had said.

"We know where he's at?" Logan asked, as he kept on eye on Bobby who was excitedly taking in all the sights and sounds of the cobblestone street as shops began to open for lunch and musicians began setting up to fill the city with music.

" Yeah got a real good idea." Rogue said.

" We think we know where he is, but I think we gotta make a stop first." Scott said looking himself over, something 'Aggie' had said struck a cord with him.

(To be continued...)


	4. Chapter 4: The Tithe & Elixir Vitale

Chapter 4

 **The Tithe, The Elixir Vitale  
**

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

 _(Over ten years ago; Louisiana 2:00am...)_

" Remy LeBeau, Ah'm a'gonna beat you blind if you drunk!" Belle thought, as she quietly slipped out of bed. Her best friend had called her in the dead of night in a babbling hysteria. He sounded terrified to say the least, and naturally she set off to be by his side. Remy would have done the same for her. She was now faced with the potentially dangerous task of sneaking out of the house. She was careful to step on the parts of the floor that didn't squeak. She was also careful to close each door to make sure they only made the smallest of clicks when she closed them behind her. However, it did wake the nocturnal animal that was her older brother, Julien.

Julien heard the nearly inaudible sounds that his sister made as she spoke softly on her phone and her gentle footsteps were obvious to him as she walked past his door and he was impressed that she made almost no sound as she walked downstairs through the foyer and to the front door. Slowly and stealthily he made his way downstairs and through the foyer, he could make her out clearly in her white nightgown and honey-gold hair as she slipped into the darkness of the woods behind their home.

"Baby sister? Where could you be going so late?" Julien thought as he followed her outside. He could have called to her, he could have caught up with her and brought her back inside, but then he would never learn where she was sneaking off to. He knew her phone had rang, and she had spoken to someone, but he had no idea whom. He had a feeling he would soon find out as he made his way through the total darkness along the river bank. After all, she was a young girl walking alone in murky terrine and it was an older brother's job to look after a younger sister. He enjoyed so few things, one of them was protecting and watching his sister grow into a perfect young lady. He took great joy in her perfection, he felt that Belle was exactly what a woman should be: ladylike, obedient and, above all, pure.

Sadly, Julien was not well, his mind 'wasn't right', as his father stated. Marius Boudreaux would keep a very watchful eye on his son, he would never allow Julien to be alone with his sister. Marius accepted the fact that his son was sick and though he did not feel that Belle was in immediate danger of her brother; he had never been violent to her in the past, but he would never take the risk. He knew his son had a terribly disappointing habit of torturing animals from the time he was seven to around twelve. Julien had an explosive temper, once he hit puberty he got into fights every other day, they were bloody and unprovoked. Julien never expressed any sort of remorse, this disturbed Marius greatly. He knew he was not smart enough to cure his boy, so instead he experimented with his son's murderous nature. If perhaps he could manipulate his son's urges into the correct outlet it would not become a problem.

When Julien was thirteen Marius sent him after a young LeBeau girl. A niece of Jean-Luc LeBeau, leader of the Thieves Guild. Her name was Emily LeBeau and she was in love. It was the set up of a perfectly Shakespearean tragedy: Emily was fifteen and in love with Vervon Boudreaux, a high-ranking Assassin member, he was twenty-four and had no intention of running off with her as they planned. Instead, Vervon was instructed by Marius to call Emily, and told Vervon to lure the girl to the woods between their properties. Vervon did as he was told, and poor Emily rushed to be with him. Along the way to meet her lover, Julien stalked Emily like a wolf; from the time he watched her leave the family home to the time she reached the loud rushing waters of the great Mississippi River. Just before she could get a second foot into her little hidden boat, Julien snatched her. He would lose his virginity that night in several ways, it would be his first human kill, and he made a nearly unidentifiable mess of poor Emily. Then, as instructed by his father, Julien would leave her gutted and torn remains on the steps of the LeBeau's family home. Juilen had fought the urge to bring the corpse home with him, but he would always remember how beautifully she screamed. He would remember Emily LeBeau always.

He watched his young sister walk along the river, it was the very same spot where he had snatched the LeBeau girl. Closely, he stalked with his wolf-ish walk, only steps behind her, " Sister, sister, what type of game are you playing? Where would you go so late at night?" He said almost as though he were singing some childhood taunt. It would not be surprising if he were to consider his sister as his next victim, he would hate himself later for thinking such a thing. To him, she was perfect, and untouched and he wanted her to remain that way, which is why he followed her towards the part of the river where there were perfect pools for swimming.

"Remy!" Belle called out into the darkness. From the pitch blackness of the tree line, Julien saw the youngest LeBeau son. He looked upset and frantic. The sight of the boy nearly caused Julien to call out but he gritted his teeth and watched.

" What is she doing talking to that?!" He wondered. He was fully prepared to jump from his hiding space and tear the demon-eyed Thief son apart. He didn't care if it would have incited a war. However, it was obvious that their rendezvous wasn't romantic and the boy's frantic face and tormented hand gestures caught his attention.

~*~"Why did you pull me down here so late at night? What's wrong? You look awful!"~*~ Belle said, she looked him over, and he certainly didn't look drunk. She became seriously concerned when she went to touch him and he jerked way suddenly.

~*~ " It's m-my hands, Bell! It's what I told you over the phone! Something is really wrong with them!"~*~ Remy repeated his terrified words just as he had over the phone and he was making just about as much sense. And by the look on her face, she wanted to understand but he looked completely normal, for the exception of him looking half- insane and on the verge of screaming.

~*~"I don't know what you mean. They look fine."~*~ Belle said, with a puzzled look on her face, she was beyond concerned. She couldn't understand what was causing him so much distress. Remy knew his friend wanted to believe him but just saying that his hands were doing things was not a sufficient explanation, he had to show her.

~*~" Here! This is what I mean!" ~*~ Remy said as he picked up a rock that was close to his foot and held it out in front of him, and for a moment nothing happened. Belle raised an eyebrow at him.

~*~"Remy what are you talking about? Are you ill?"~*~ Belle was inches from scolding him about the dangers of drug use.

~*~ "No, wait! LOOK! LOOK! Its happening!" ~*~ Remy was hoping that an explanation would have been enough for his friend to believe him, he dreaded this demonstration. For a moment, Remy was grateful nothing happened. He prayed that, like most things, the moment he had told Belle about something incredible and went to show her that it just wouldn't happen. He much rather look insane to his best friend then potentially destroy everything he touched, but to his great disappointment...

~*~" What?" ~*~ Was all that Belle could whisper as, miraculously, the small stone began to glow. It began as the rock taking on a lighter and lighter color and then became a throbbing magenta light and then the light burned into an intensity that caused her to squint her eyes. The light burnt so brightly that it became a blaring white, she even heard it sizzle in his hands. If she had, had the mind to, she would have slapped it out of his hand for fear that it would have burned him. She then whispered, ~*~ "What-what is it?"~*~ Belle asked in utter amazement, she then reached for the stone in his hand and attempted to grab it to inspect it. Remy fearfully gripped it in a tight fist and threw the rock out into the water. ~*~ "Why did you do that?"~*~ Belle angrily demanded, that was a better explanation than what Remy had tried to put into words and now he had thrown it away.

~*~ "Watch. This is the worst part."~*~ Remy said grimly. The rock sank into the water and beneath the surface, it continued to grow more and more brightly until, ultimately, the water's surface erupted into a great spewing fountain, the water may have reached up about thirty feet into the air. It seemed as though he where fishing with dynamite.

~*~" What did you do!?"~*~ Belle was filled with even more questions than Remy at this point. She had no idea what she had just witnessed.

~*~"I didn't do anything! It's my hands! I told you they just do that now!"~*~ A new fear was now settling into Remy's bones, what if he hadn't been quicker than Belle? What if she had taken the stone from his hands? What would it have done? Would she have died? Or maybe just lost an arm? The whole idea was scaring him even more now. What if this didn't go away; what would he do?

~*~"I don't- I don't..." ~*~ Was all Belle could muster, she was speechless. Remy stood with his hands out to his sides, afraid of his own body; he didn't know how to begin to handle this.

~*~" What do I do? What is this?" ~*~ Remy had no one to turn to, he knew his brother would tell his father, and they would both think he was crazy. He couldn't help but feel if his father saw what was happening that he would be greatly disappointed in him. Belle was the smartest person he could tell that would believe him. He was on the brink of tears, and losing his mind. ~*~ "Maybe it will go away."~*~ Remy said out loud, to himself. He was trying to consol himself, he needed Belle to agree with him very badly.

~*~"Or...Maybe, this is just you."~*~ Belle concluded. Belle regained her composure and try to offer a more likely solution to her friend. There are more things in this world that were unexplained and unbelievable, than things that made perfect sense. The secrets that both of their familes kept was proof of that. She felt that this was by no means normal, but there was a great big world that neither of them had ever experienced and this had to be one of those things; the world was catching up to them in their little isolated universe. To her, that meant that it was time to make a change and to greet the world. It would seem that the world was reaching out for her friend Remy, and she would not allow herself to fall behind.

~*~" What are you talking about?"~*~ Remy asked. Belle's heart broke at the pain in Remy's eyes, she knew he was frightened and he longed for things to stay the way they were. She was a bit on the selfish side. She was eager to leave this place and make a life for herself, she couldn't help but feel that this was a sign that things needed to change. Perhaps if she could convince Remy that this was an opportunity to escape their assigned lives they could run away together. They could leave the bayou. They could leave their families behind and carve out a life for themselves, whether it be together or start together and go their separate ways.

~*~"Well, we have always known that your eyes were never like other people's. I always thought they were magic, maybe this is something having to do with that."~*~ Belle was convinced she was special, and she knew Remy was also. If she could convince him to leave home and run away with her they would a greater chance to make it on their own; away from their families.

~*~"Magic isn't real, Bell! People don't do this!"~*~ Remy was having a serious problem understanding how Belle was trying to be optimistic at a time like this. The word 'mutant' had not yet reached the mainstream world, and it certainly hadn't reached their neck of the woods. It would be two years before Remy knew what to call himself, and it would take about as much time for others to find far uglier things to called him.

~*~ "And Thieves and Assassins hate each other ! But we don't ... the fact that we became friends was magic. We were supposed to hate each other. We were supposed to kill each other but we didn't, and we had chances to... Remember?" She was right. They had come across each other when they were both very young and even then they knew that they were supposed to hate each other, but they just couldn't. At one point each one of them had tried to do what was expected of them, but the hatred just never took.

~*~ "So?"~*~ Remy was trying to keep his temper, this was possibly the most stressful day of his life and he wanted Belle to get to her point.

~*~" In this tiny little bayou I found you and you found me. Remember?"~*~ Belle saw this as an opportunity to finally make a break to begin the life that they both deserved. With her fearlessness and intelligence and Remy's ability to protect them, there wasn't anything they couldn't do together.

"Yeah. What you gettin' at girl?" Remy asked in exasperated English.

~*~ "We should leave! Let's go tonight! We'll pack our things and we'll leave!"~*~ Belle was almost over joyed to purpose her radical idea. Remy was blind to her desperation for freedom, which was understandable seeing as how blowing things up with his hands probably ranked among the top 3 for the most traumatic things that had ever happened to him.

~*~ "What are you talking about? We can't leave our families. I can't leave my father!"~*~ Remy differed from Belle in the sense that Remy accepted his life, and he never spoke to Belle about his family, and Belle did not speak about hers; it was an unspoken rule between them.

~*~ " But now is as good a time as any-"~*~ Bell tried to desperately plead her case. She never understood Remy and his father's relationship, because she was not as attached to her own father. She resented him for keeping her in near-isolation; she never went to a regular school, she had never been out of the state and she never had a friend that she wasn't related to; for the exception of Remy. One of the most appealing things about Remy was that his friendship was forbidden; Remy was her rebellion. It never occurred to Belle that Remy didn't feel the same way about their friendship. She loved her father but she never felt compelled to stand by him the way Remy did with his.

~*~ " No Bell. I can't. My father needs me and how do you expect me to do anything like this?" ~*~ He said, holding up his hands. Belle decided not to press the argument, she knew tonight must have been hard enough on him. Remy sank down and sat on the ground, he even nearly placed his face into his hands, but abruptly stopped himself. Belle knelt down to his eye level and offered a sympathetic smile to her distressed friend.

~*~" One of these days that sense of loyalty will hurt you, Remy. You gotta do what's right for you...do trust me?"~*~ Belle asked softly, she paid no mind to the wet grass soaking her knees and night gown. Belle could never predict how horribly her advice would backfire on her and she could never fathom the monumental change it would have on her friend.

~*~"Of course." ~*~ Remy said without hesitation, he trusted Belle as much as he did his father. He trusted her so completely that he did fight her when Belle reached for him and picked up his hand by the wrist and held it tightly ~*~"Bell? What the hell are you doing!?"~*~.

~*~" I'm trusting you too."~*~ Belle said with great confidence as she pulled his wrist and his hand near her face.

~*~"Belle?! I might-I might!"~*~ He nearly screamed and tried to pull away but she wouldn't let him.

~*~"Shhh...trust me. I trust you...you see?"~*~ Belle, in a marvelous display of nerves, cupped her face with his palm. She could feel him tremble and it hurt to see him so terrified, but to her great relief Remy was able to control his incredible gift. ~*~" You can do this. You can control this. Here."~*~ She picked up another rock and placed it into his hand. "~*~ Like everything in this world you gotta practice and focus. Make it glow this time, but don't allow it to explode."~*~

~*~"You're putting a lot of faith in me."~*~ Remy could recall a time when he was a very cautious and timid child; he was never spontaneous or fearless the way Belle was and he bitterly envied her. He would later attribute his spontaneous and reckless nature to, most definitely his father, but also to Belle.

~*~" Stop being afraid and focus on what you want. Fear isn't doing you any favors."~*~ Belle said firmly.

From the thick darkness of the tree line Julien watch from afar as the boy touched his sister's beautiful face and it enraged him beyond words. The fact that the Thief-filth would even come near his sister, let alone talk to her, was enough to grant the boy death. However, it was was clear that this was no young romance and once Julien witnessed the miraculous explosion he kept his hiding place a secret. He continued to watch, he had just seen the boy light some sort of explosive in his hand, and now it looked as thought he was lighting another, however it did not explode. He didn't understand what he was looking at, and he was totally confused when the LeBeau son lit another explosive and it gradually fizzled out in his palm, which, for some reason, overjoyed Belle. His sister was so overjoyed that she threw her arms around him, and appeared to be congratulating him. Julien was baffled. He decided he would not reveal himself, he wanted to know how well they knew each other and how long has this relationship been going on.

~*~ "What have these Thieves been hiding?"~*~ Julien thought. He wanted to understand what he saw; he wanted to scream when his sister hugged the boy. Still he remained in the shadows and like any good hunter, Julien knew when to attack and now was not the time. After he watched, and was thoroughly disgusted, they embraced again and said goodnight, he followed his sister back up the river bank; she was easily seen in her white silk nightgown and gold curls. He would run up ahead of her and meet her at the doorway.

~*~"Julien!" Wh-What are you doing up?"~*~ Belle Donna's heart turned into ice, it was beyond frightening that he remained unnoticed even though he was standing right next to her. Julien had a horrible habit of hiding among shadows. For a moment, Belle couldn't breathe if her brother had any inclination of where she had been he would waste no time in outing her friendship with the youngest LeBeau son. It would not be surprising if he had followed her, and it terrified her to think if her brother had witnessed Remy's newest gift. Assassins didn't need another reason to hate Thieves.

~*~" I would ask you the same question. Where have you been?"~*~ He asked, he was interested to see what excuse she would make.

~*~" I couldn't sleep. I needed to go for a walk."~*~ She said, her hands trembled. Julien removed a pack of cigarettes from his coat.

~*~" Are you cold? ~*~ Julien asked, as he slowly and steadily pulled a cigarette from its box and lit it. The seriousness of his tone and his movements were unsettling.

~*~"I must be."~*~ She said, his overly calm voice and stoic slow movements unnerved her terribly, she knew her brother had a very violent temper and was terrified of what he may have seen. His behavior was becoming increasingly unstable; he would go days without sleeping and all he would do was look out of his window and smoke. At night he would disappear and he had an unsettling habit of burning the clothes he had been in the night before. Belle never knew what to make of it, deep down she knew he was capable of unspeakable things but would never face it. ~*~" I should get back to bed and warm up."~*~ She attempted to hurry past him but he blocked the entrance way.

~*~" It's okay, sister."~*~ Julien approached her, he never looked her in the face as he put his arms around her and hug her. He rubbed her back and pressed her to him. Belle felt the tightening of his long, very muscular arms. He then held her tightly, then too tightly and began to hurt her.

~*~" Juilen? You're-yo-!"~*~ It was not the usual brotherly hug, Belle Donna refused to notice at first, she thought perhaps he was just warming her up, but as his hug refused to loosen, Belle could feel her rib-cage bend within her body. As a python coils and tightens around its prey, Juilen continued to restricted his sister's breathing. ~*~"C-can't breath!...Ju- Julien-! Brother!...JUL-"~*~ Belle squinted her eye's tightly and she pushed back with all her might, but Juilan was far, far stronger. He watched his sister's face change from a bright red to the lightest of blues, in a moment she would black out. In her face, he was searching for something. He was looking for an answer as to why she would betray her family and fraternize with the enemy; he continued to search as the veins in her forehead and neck began to grotesquely bulged; for a moment he thought about revealing to her that he had seen her with the LeBeau son, as delivered his punishment, instead, he released her. Belle stumbled back and dropped to her knees, as she took in gulps of air and painfully filled her lungs. He towered over her, as he took another draw from his cigarette, he had never dropped it as he nearly murdered her. Belle looked up at him, her eyes steamed tears as the color returned to her face, her ribs, back and chest ached painfully.

~*~" Good night, sister"~*~ Julien said stoically, in that hug he had decided to forgive her. She was not the problem, the demon-eyed LeBeau son had corrupted her and he would be dealt with severely. He watched his sister weeze and gasp for a moment before she pulled herself to her feet. She never took her eyes off of him, as she felt the wall behind her and clumsily back-stepped into the foyer and then promptly tripped at the foot of the stairs before climbing to her feet again and scurried up the stairs.

~*~"Oh, Dear sweet lord! HE KNOWS!"~*~ Belle screamed inside her head stairs, she would not sleep that night; and she was fully aware the Julien was watching her every move. She would lose sleep for years after that night, waiting for her brother to tell her father, or even worse, handle Remy on his own.

~*~" Its okay, sister. It's okay."~*~ Julien said to himself. He silently promised her that he would handle the Thief son personally. He would deliver the long drawn out torment with his own brand of perverted cruelty. Julien would surely cut the boy's strange eyes from his face as a souvenir, but not before he got the answers to all of his questions. Answers he wouldn't have until his sister's wedding day.

* * *

 _(New Orleans; Present day )_

Remy stood on one of the highest rooftops to watched the early day drinkers starting their bar crawls or mapping out a plan for later that night. The scores of people below were wearing all sorts of college t-shirts and revealing clubbing clothing. Remy remembered a time where this was his favorite, and least favorite time of the year. Tourists tended to annoy the hell out of him, but all of the college students with their pockets full of drinking money tantalized him. He would never sleep on the street a day in his life during spring break. He would always find a way to make friends with all sorts of visitors, mostly pretty girls, and end up staying in their rooms using their showers and taking any remaining money he saw fit for his services as a local tour guild. He would make more money than he knew what to do with in one night then he normally did in one week on Spring Break.

He remembered how impressed his father was when he would come see him at the expensive hotel suites that Remy had paid for all on his own. He remembered that visits from his father became increasingly infrequent due to the quiet war his father was waging in order to remove Assassin Guild members; one-by-one, and business-by-business until there were only Thieves. His father promised Remy that all he had to do was keep his head down and soon enough he could come back to the family home and they would be in power. They would never want for anything, money or control. However, that was not what ended up happening. When the time came, and his father had assumed complete power and was now the controlling head among organized crime in New Orleans, Remy was in France. He told his father he would not be returning to the Thieves Guild or New Orleans. The only explanation he offered was that he had honed his craft and was making incredible money as a contract- cat burglar, stealing for the highest bidder. He had gotten his powers under control and was very happy traveling the world. That was also what he told himself, but in actuality it was the shattering guilt that kept him away. Crushing guilt, that he could not face what he had done to Belle and her family and the horrible shame of enjoying the lifestyle that Belle had wanted for herself. He was using Belle's advise and lost all loyalty to anyone but himself, and then came a time where he never thought of anyone but himself. His heart became cold and callus; he had taken Belle's words to head and heart until he didn't want to care anymore or bond with anyone else ever again. His relationships from that point out were contingent on what he could take from others, for the exception of his father, he would rarely care for the needs and wants of those around him. Until he met Rogue, without meaning to at all, she ruined everything. She had awoke that old piece of him that wanted to care about about something again. After his powers emerged the only people that would look after him were people he convinced to do so, but Rogue was different.

He was about to bitterly reminisce on the conversation he had with his father the day he told him that he wasn't coming home, until the slightest smell of smoke from a thick stogie cigar interrupted the air.

"Ah, hell." Remy said aloud. He dropped his head in annoyance. He knew Logan and the others would try to catch up to him, but he was hoping he could retrieve the Assassin Guild's floor plans from they're shady carpenter without the X-men hovering around him. No such luck.

" Thought you gave us the slip didn't you, Gumbo?" Logan said, he was impressed that Gambit identified him before he wanted him to. If he hadn't been so deep in thought Logan doubted have gotten much closer to him before being addressed. " For someone in all sorts of hot water you sure don't know how to sneak around." Logan practically scoffed, he was annoyed as well, all the running around they did for his sake had angered him and it didn't help that Gambit was very low on his list of favorite people.

" Ah'm fine. All o' you here?" Gambit responded dryly. He knew that if Logan was here than Scott was too, and he was positive Rogue was as well. The fact that Rogue was here, angered him more than anything else; the added stress of Rogue possibly witnessing the ugliest part of him was both humiliating and terrifying.

" Needed more than one of us ta take care of yer ass. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into now?" Logan asked in the rough growling tone he normally spoke to him in. Gambit was far too distracted to be irritated by it he had a plan to put together in a very short amount of time.

"Ah told ya before, dis ain't any of yo' business! Ya' all need ta go back." Gambit attempted once more to send away Logan and the others, but he knew even as he said it, it was pointless to do so.

"You really think we're gonna turn around n' leave after that stunt you pulled at the hanger?" Logan would make sure that Gambit atoned for everything while he was with the X-Men. Responsibility was the first thing he needed to learn if he was going to be a member. Remy did not answer him, he continue to focus on the club across the street. He had been watching it from the rooftop like the stone gargoyle he stood next to. He was on the look out for Noly Elmsworth, the criminal carpenter, no doubt his target would be out and about among the droves of partying tourists. He had every intention of tracking him down and liberating the plans for the Assassin Guild's newest homestead from the front of Noly's shirt pocket. He needed to focus on his priorities, he had to retrieve his father and he could be easily overwhelmed by the fear of facing Belle's death or even more terrifying, her living, breathing life. The X-Men were an unwanted interference.

"So now that ya know ya can't shake us, what's the situation?" Logan wasn't in the mood to argue either, and Remy was far too involved with the matter at hand to argue with his new team-mates he finally lamented and grudgingly explained himself to Logan.

" Dey got m' father... again." Remy said solemnly.

"Your old man is developing a really annoying habit." Logan remarked, he knew the apple didn't fall far, but it was beyond obvious that the two were related, the way they got themselves in trouble was identical.

" It's different dis time. All de leads Ah had before went cold. N' Ah can't find any o' mah family, none o' mah people." Going to the old jazz bar that he had taken Rogue to was useless, it was no longer there. It seemed like a virus had completely taken out everyone. He couldn't even recognize the enemy anymore; He had been skulking around all day and he couldn't find a familiar Assassin/Ripper face. So either they had completely gone into hiding or they had completely filled their ranks with brand new members. Remy suspected it was a little of both, at least a few original Assassin members had to be in control, and were puppeteering this new Assassin/Ripper movement. He was positive of that, everything was too controlled, too organized, and too much like the old ways, original members had to be at work. Remy's anxiety ran high at the though of seeing an Assassin that would remember him. How could an Assassin forget the black-eyed mutant/Thief son that married into the family, then abruptly massacred nearly the entire clan? Remy was surprised everyday that he was alive. His father must have made good on his promise and exterminated the Assassin problem, until this recent and overpowering Assassin/Ripper take over. " Father had dis city in de palm o'his hand, up until a few months back. Til dis new group rose up."

"Rippers?" Logan asked.

"Yeah...Rogue told you?" Gambit asked.

"You kidnapped an underage kid, remember? Either she was going to tell me everything or I was going to track you down and you were." Logan still hadn't forgotten that little stunt, and he wasn't about to let Gambit forget either. He had no response to Logan, for the exception of a heavy sigh. "So we're up against these Rippers? Or whatever stupid thing they'er callin' themselves."

" Dat's just it. Long time feud been goin' on between mah family an' another group called Assassins fo' hundreds o'years. Mah father did some-some...t'ings, n'took over. He broke a'lot of old laws dat was set in place fo' both families." Remy explained. It was coming to light who Gambit was. Logan knew the man was a criminal, but he would have never thought the guy was part of an organized crime syndicate that was older then the U.S. government.

"So the old man pissed off a whole lot of folks, eh?" Logan had a little more knowledge of this type of culture than he would admit. He entered Canada around 1880, not too long after Canada was officially formed. Like most societies, it took a while for the people to fall into line and actually accept a new form of government. Up until then, the only laws that were recognized were common laws. Families would make up laws to live along side each other and violation almost always ended with a shot gun and, more often than not, long bitter family feuds. Gambit was speaking like a guy that was raised with very similar, very old ways.

"N'...n' he got rid of a whole lot o'em too..." Remy said with shame in his voice. To say it out loud was actually far more embarrassing then he thought it would be.

"But not all, and you figure some made it out alive. Right?" Logan could blatantly see the problem and the odds were stacked against him.

" Alive n'mad. N' dey formed dis 'Ripper' group, but dey Assassins, Ah'm sure. Now mah father's gone again an' it seems like it's just me against'em." Briefly Remy forgot he had a brother in this world, but he couldn't begin to know where to start looking for him.

"So, you're being set up?"

"Oh yeah. Felt Ah was bein' set up before, de first time dis happened but Ah t'ink de first time was just a trial run. Ah t'ink dey wanted ta see if Ah was still alive." No surprise to Gambit, that his father had lied to him. To say that rescuing his father with Rogue's help the first time was easy wasn't true but it wasn't as hard as he expected either. It was obvious now that asking his father anything about the matter was pointless, he would have denied the Assassin presence in the Rippers' work no matter what he saw.

"And now they know yer still breathin', and are lookin' to settle the score." Logan felt a surprising sympathy for Gambit, even though his choices were his own, he probably never had a chance to do the right thing growing up; raised by killers and prostitutes. It didn't excuse him, but Logan understood survival.

" Yeah..." Remy let out a heavy sigh. " N' now dey playin' fo' keeps. Dis time Ah don't know if m' father will survive dis one, Logan." Gambit said seriously and he never took his eyes off the building across the street. He needed to find Noly. Logan was almost shocked, he knew that everyone was someone's kid, but it was an easy thing to forget when you were talking to a man like Gambit. Logan usually saw him as shady, a selfish opportunist, and a untrustworthy criminal; he was usually too complicated for Logan to get a read from him, but now it was undeniably clear: He was a son that wanted to save his father. Logan wouldn't have thought twice to go up against an army for his old man.

" The first right move you made was accepting our help." Logan remarked, even though Remy hadn't officially asked for it, but he hadn't tried to run from him either and that was good enough for Logan. "They'll keep your father alive for now. They're waitin' fer you, they're not gonna kill their bate before they need to. What do you know so far, do you have a plan?"

"Startin' one. Heard from a reliable source dat a career contractor has got de plans to de newest Assassin's maison. Ah'm tryin' ta get ahold o' dem plans." It was mildly comforting that Logan could put together what was happening the moment Remy explained. Though he really hated the idea of the X-Men becoming involved he knew they would be useful.

"You got the plans, you got the layout and the best chance at seeing where your father's at." Logan appreciated the simplicity of it, before he heard the rest.

"Dat's it, but Ah got a problem. De man knows m'face n' de plans ain't inna office o'drawer, dey in his pocket." Remy said with his eyes still on the brick building across the street. This was not the type of mission Logan was used to, though not impossible, he needed to rework his strategy.

" So what after that?" Logan asked.

"So far that's all Ah got... from dere Ah don' know." Gambit said as he watched the bars and shops below open their doors to let in breeze, the old Cat Club would be opening soon for set up, the bar across the street from it would be opening sooner, Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar. That bar would be his next stop, it would be the perfect spot to wait and watch, they didn't use electricity and the candle-light was never bright enough, hiding would be easy.

" Fair enough. Where's this contractor?" Logan asked.

" Noly Elmsworth, find him at de Cat Club." Remy said pointing at the old building he had been watching, it was where the newbie Assassins/Rippers and the contractor would be tonight. With all the fresh bodies in town they would not be able to resist the first day of the Spring Break holiday. Noly had an apparent affinity for young beautiful women. Especially women that wanted to be shown a good time and that he would never have to see again. "Where are de others?"

"Scott wanted to make sure the group blended in." Logan said. Remy raised an eyebrow in mild confusion and wondered what that could have meant.

* * *

 _(Not too far away...)_

"I look like that one Unabomber psycho guy from the 90's." Bobby said looking at himself in a long grey hoodie, sunglasses, shorts and gym shoes. They had made use of some emergency cash and Scott had made the wise decision of taking off his uniform and getting into civilian clothing. Scott would never admit that he took the advise of a prostitute, but she did make a very good point.

"What do you expect? We're going to be going in and out of bars, and you look extremely underage." Scott replied in his jeans and red/white flannel shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. He looked very normal, even with his visor, handsome and very college-type. He would blend in perfectly with the droves of visiting student and he almost always appeared older than what he actually was, which would help in this situation.

"Where's Logan?" Bobby asked, as he looked for a better pair of sunglasses, rather than the pair of aviators that Scott had chosen for him.

" He got a lead on Gambit and went off to take care of tracking him down himself while we did this." Scott replied.

"Why isn't he changing?" Bobby asked, envious. He thought it was unfair he had to look like something out of a police scetch and Logan could remain in his own clothes.

"Logan pretty much blends no matter where he is, so we're the ones that have to suit up. Come on, Rogue is waiting for us." Scott replied, the small store was the perfect place to get clothing that would help them better blend into the area. Students were everywhere, they were buzzing with excitement as they walked with drinks in hand and marveled at the surroundings of the massive party that was already beginning to crowd the streets. Scott and Bobby walked out to the sidewalk, and Scott searched the crowded walk for their teammate among the dozens of gorgeous college girls, until a particular stunner spoke up; he hadn't even recognized her.

" You took long enough." Rogue commented as she stepped into view of her other two teammates. She had chosen a nude-colored full body suit that blended perfectly with her skin tone and it allowed her to remain completely covered even though she had selected deep blue daisy duke shorts that showed off her long shapely legs. She had also picked a thin black plunging v-neck t-shirt with a burnout pattern of a rose and ivy design, which complimented her figure and flirtatiously exposed her supple cleavage through the flesh colored material of the body suit. She wore sunglasses and simple black gloves that went up to her wrists, she had also chose a pair of well-worn embossed cowboy boots; clearly channeling her southern roots she looked fantastic: tough, but sassy. She looked like the exponential sexy ass-kicker and was dressed for a good time, entirely appropriately for the atmosphere.

" Whoa...um are you- aren't you a little over exposed?" Scott cautioned as he almost inappropriately inspected her outfit. He was not used to seeing so much of her, not that it was unpleasant by any means, but the only way he could express his approval was by expressing parental-style disapproval.

"Scott." Rogue said firmly she knew how to dress herself and she knew that she was completely covered and if Scott tried saying another word about it he would regret it. The look on her face must have been obvious as Scott shut his mouth. Bobby, on the other hand, was impressed.

" Nice, Rogue! You look great, too bad we're not here to actually party!" Bobby said as he looked all around him at the laughing and celebrating crowd.

" Me too, but why are you dressed like the Unabomber?" Rogue asked. Bobby's face soured.

" Scott made me." Bobby bitterly replied, then turned to Scott. "See? Told you."

"Not my fault you can't grow a mustache. C'mon, I'm sure Logan would have caught up to Gambit by now." Scott said leading the way through the busy crowd. Everywhere people from all over the country connected with each other by making friends, enjoying casual sex, drinking, eating and dancing. One adult shop celebrated their annual Spring Break/Mardi Gras tradition by showering the crowds below with condoms; Bobby and Scott were caught in a sudden downpour of prophylactics. Bobby allowed dozens to collect in the basket he had made out of his sweatshirt. He looked at Scott and couldn't help but burst out into laughter as the top of Scott's head was pelted with dozens of individually wrapped, brightly colored condoms.

" Will you get going!" Scott said, as he grabbed Bobby by the shoulder, forcing him to drop all of his catch and pushed his young teammate through the crowd.

"Hey! Some of those were ribbed and/or flavored!" Bobby laughed and faked disappointment, as Scott, bright red, pushed him through the crowds of people. Rogue laughed herself to tears at the sight of Scott bombarded by a rainbow of safe sex and becoming so uncomfortable that he was almost furious. Rogue wiped away her laughing tears and followed them. Every other step men and women tried to stop her to offer her a drink.

"Come on sweetheart come party with us!" A group of well-meaning college students offered. She smiled graciously and thought for a moment that maybe Scott had a point about her outfit, but she couldn't allow herself to become distracted. It was very difficult not to become sidetracked with all the smiling faces or the music that filled the streets, which fueled the dancing and laughter all around her.

"What could be so bad, Remy?" Rogue thought, how could a place so happy and full of music and celebration harbor so much danger and violence? Despite knowing about the ugliness that the city hid, she couldn't help but be tempted by the beauty and excitement. In every way it was the same way she felt for Remy; despite the danger and risk she couldn't help but be drawn and intrigued by the hypnotic beauty and mystery; the same way a moth didn't care about the danger of being drawn to a flickering candle flame, she hoped to help Remy without being effected by what she could potentially uncover.

* * *

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

 _(Years ago; Louisiana, Boudreaux home...)_

Belle Donna Boudreaux or was it Belle Donna LeBeau now? She wasn't sure. She looked around her, the flies had laid their eggs within the bodies of her family; the maggots would hatch soon and consume them, she had to hurry. Half of her white wedding dress was covered in dark crimson-brown blood, the blood of her Daddy, and her older brother Julien, uncles, cousins, everyone she had known in this world was laid around her with their throats slit. The smell of blood and decomposing flesh would bring the animals soon, sobbing like a child, she dragged each body to the sink hole at the edge of the family's property and said a prayer for each body. She was begging God to explain to them on her behalf.

"Dear, dear, dear God, tell 'em! Sweet Jesus, Holy Ghost tell 'em! Ah's sorry! Ah tried, dear Lord! Ah tried, Ah tried ta do peace! Ta do good! Where is you God? Where is everyone?" Belle said aloud growing more and deranged as the horrible reality of what her life was turning into began to dawn on her. With each relative she saw consumed by the sink hole she became delirious with grief. Her father and brother were last, but she wouldn't put them in the sink hole, she couldn't, if they were gone she would be completely alone. She dug both of them a single large grave about four feet deep, she wanted them to be together. She dug relentlessly, stopping only to swing the shovel at the crows that attempted to pick at the wet meat from her brother's neck, or from perching on her Daddy's chest. Belle cried so hard it caused a throbbing pain in her head, it was so severe that she vomited twice.

* * *

 _~*~"Bell, how could I ever leave you? You're my family."~*~_

 _~*~"I feel the same, but there is so much life out there! For both of us, Remy."~*~_

 _~*~" So you're really leaving some day? You would do that?"~*~_

 _~*~" Yeah, but we'll always be family!"~*~_

* * *

The Thieves were still nearby, she was sure of it, but she didn't care if they could see her; she had nothing to lose. She would have greatly welcomed a shot to the head or a knife to the throat if it meant not being alone. However, strangely, no one never came, she was left untouched. She couldn't help but feel that this was intentional. She could not locate any Thieves within the trees or even around the property. She was alone with only the bodies of her family.

Once she dragged the bodies of her father and brother into the grave she dug, she climbed out, ripping her dress; she struggled to get to her feet. For a moment she thought about lying own in the grave with them. She stared into the grave for a long while, she then removed her wedding dress and tossed it over the faces of her father, and brother. A family grave, the dress was her; she belonged in there with them. They were in the ground because of her and her stupid ideas. The blood had soaked through her dress and onto her white slip that was now clinging to her body, it was wet with sweat and blood, but she hardly noticed.

* * *

 _~*~"Well? Say something!"~*~_

 _~*~"Bell...You look...strange."~*~_

 _~*~" Remy! Ah should beat you. You're actually telling a bride she looks strange on her wedding day! I'm starting to think if I didn't marry you, no one would! "~*~_

 _~*~" Not strange bad, I've never seen you this way."~*~_

 _~*~" What way is that?"~*~_

 _~*~" You know...pretty. Not used to that."~*~_

 _~*~" Remy, you are so rude."~*~_

 _~*~" Far as I can tell, this is your fault. I'm not suppose to see the bride before the wedding but you needed to see if I liked the dress."~*~_

 _~*~" In all the time I've known you, you have never apologized. It wouldn't kill you to admit you were wrong once in a while."~*~_

 _~*~" Why would I? You don't. But I do mean it. You look really pretty."~*~_

* * *

She remained silent for a moment before she began shouting down into the grave. ~*~ " Daddy, why didn't you tell me no?! Why didn't you say it was a stupid idea?! You always fought me on everything, why not this!? You always taught me ta never trust a Thief! Why did you this time!?"~*~ She stopped screaming and began panting heavily. She knew exactly why her father took a risk and chose to trust the LeBeau's; it was her. She convinced her Father that it could work: An Assassin daughter marrying a Thief son. Joining the families would heal the wound, but she was wrong, she was very very wrong. Belle dropped down to her knees at the edge of the grave and continued to beg in desperation, this time in English, "Ah-Ah-...Ah's sorry Papa! Big brother forgive me!" Belle screamed herself hoarse," Don' leave me all alone! De family n' everyone dead! Dead o' dey jus' run off! Dey left me! Left me all alone! Dear, dear, dear God bring someone back fo' me! Bring Remy, he's s'pose ta love me..." Belle Donna begged, and sobbed as she began to gather the soil and rocks to put over the corpses of her brother and father. She began with her brother, his out stretched arms would be the first thing to be covered up by the dark earth. Once she had pulled enough soil over her brother's body, she deliriously began to gather arm fulls of black soil to cover her father next.

~*~" I'm so sorry Papa! I- I should have never been mad at you! You knew what was best I should have listened to you."~*~ This was it, she would be completely alone now. "Remy's gonna come, he gonna come fo' me," Belle held herself and tried to speaking comforting words to herself. " ...maybe inna month o' two, but he ain't gonna leave me, he loves me...he loves me." She weakly rambled as she threw more soil over her father's body. She was ashamed to say such a thing in front of her father's body, but Remy was alive and she didn't know anyone else in this world. Like her Father had done when he tucked her in at night, he would pull the blankets from her toes and playfully over her head. She would start to throw the soil over his feet first and work her way up until the soil fell over his face, that was covered with the smooth white satin of her wedding dress. "Papa...Papa, Ah's so sorry!" Belle whispered now, her throat was raw and she could no longer scream. An unexpected response rose up from the grave, a sudden gurgle from under the blood-covered skirt gave her the scare of her life.

"AH!" Belle screamed out loud at the sound, and fell back out of exhaustion and shock. She quickly scrambled to the edge of the grave and peered down into it. Panting heavily, she nearly fainted when she saw her father's hand raise up from the black soil and begin to stir. "D-daddy?...Daddy!" Belle hoarsely screamed for her father as she jumped down into the grave and pushed the soil off of him. "Oh please, God! Please sweet lord, give me my Daddy! Sweet Jesus, give him to me please!" Belle prayed and begged as she pulled away arm fulls of dirt and rock, until she reached her blood soaked wedding dress, she wasted no time pulling it from her father's face. It was true, her father was alive. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Lord! Daddy! Mah Daddy!" Belle sobbed with a relief she never thought she would feel again, as she pulled her father up and held him.

" B-Bell?" Marius looked up at his distraught girl's face. She was covered in dirt, and her irritated red eyes poured tears.

~*~" It's me! I'm here, Papa! I'll nurse you! I'll make you healthy! I will!"~*~ Belle promised. She would spend three hours of energy she didn't have to pull her father's broken body from the grave, and through the blood soaked courtyard and into the house. After cleaning her father up a bit and giving him water he was able to speak. Her father ordered her not to contact a soul, no one should know that he survived. ~*~" But Papa, not even a doctor?"~*~

~*~" No one! You learned your remedies and you are smart. We will ride out this storm together, daughter."~*~ Marius said reassuringly. This was the last mistake he would ever make with a LeBeau, or any Thief. "Jean-Luc, you bastard." Marius repeated over and over in his head. He had intentionally left his daughter alive after he massacred the Assassin's guild, he left her alive in order to punish Marius even after he thought he was dead; he was a monster. He had broken every law that had established from the beginning to keep the Guilds in order and he would pay dearly for it. Marius vowed that he would make Jean-Luc suffer and he would start with his children, the youngest son would pay first. The youngest LeBeau boy that he foolishly allowed to marry his daughter. Agreeing to a marriage to a Thief-son was a stupid risk, but how could he not see that the boy was a mutant? He was unnatural and the very thought of him touching his daughter was sickening. Marius wanted blood, but he needed to regain his health. He understood that his daughter was frightened, she had every reason to be, only moments before she had thought him dead and he had been in a grave, only to be awoken by his daughters anguished cries. The blood in his veins boiled.

"But Daddy you're really hurt!" She was right, Marius was seriously injured. Without some sort of treatment Marius would no doubt get worse, and possibly not survive the week, he was suffering from bleeding, broken bones, lacerations, a concussion and possibly much worse. He could think of only one alternative, he wasn't able to reach out to any sort of doctor or medical establishment for help and he was desperate. If he died, his girl would be all alone, and the Assassins would be lost and if he couldn't avoid death then he needed to make sure Belle would be safe and that the Assassins would again become a force to crush the Thieves for what they had done.

"You listen to yo' Father, baby-girl. We have ta stay quiet; we seeds right now. We stay quiet, need time ta grow strong... and ...we call on Candra. We have no choice." The name struck a new fear in Belle's weary heart. Candra was the personified essence of Guild laws. She was the ultimate power that enforced laws for both Thieves and Assassins. Candra was an immortal from so long ago that her origin had long since been forgotten.

"C-Candra?" Belle stammered, Candra was also the oldest and most protected secret of both Thieves and Assassins. Belle knew of the mysterious and powerful woman but never thought she would live to see her because she was born a daughter, only men were allowed audience with Candra, but with all the Assassins dead or just gone, she was the only available Assassins member that could speak to Candra on her father's behalf.

"You take de place of yo' Brother, God rest his soul." It terrified Marius to send his daughter and now only child, outside. He knew that the Thieves would no doubt be watching the property, but he had no choice. If he was going to survive his injuries, he needed Belle to reach out to Candra. Marius knew that Jean-Luc was no stupid man, he would have the roads and waterways leading to the Bordeaux house watched. Though it was too dangerous to reach civilization, the property behind the house would not be watched. The anchers of land behind the house were dangerous, it was a dead end surrounded by sink holes but it was the exact place Marius needed. Through the swamp there was a single treacherous path that lead to an ancient ceremonial ground that served as a ritualistic place for Thieves and Assassins to gather and present honorarium. Both Assassins and Thieves would come every hundred years to call on Candra, it would be more than ten years before she would manifest again for the ritualistic offering of the tithe, but Marius' life was at stake.

"Me?! B-but A-Ah'm girl!" Belle Donna mouth dropped open, she was terrified at the thought. Her initial reaction was to decline, but ultimately she would agree to her father's wishes; what else could she do? Her father was severely hurt and the only one capable of helping him would have been Candra.

" So's she! You was always de best choice, Daughter. Tradition made it yo' Brother's place, but...but he gone now. Assassins need you ...need a leader." Marius said, he almost had a smile on his face. He loved his son but it was no mystery that the boy was a sociopath, and though Marius felt sadness for the loss of his son, there also came relief. The current situation demanded a break from tradition, and Marius knew his Daughter was strong enough to meet the challenge.

Candra had made an ancient pact with the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds, she provided them with offerings in exchange for monetary tributes. The Thieves' Guild received the elixir vitale, giving them greatly-extended lifespans. The Assassins' Guild received power from Candra; she had the ability to unlock the x-gene within the individual Assassins that carried it. This gave the appearance that some of them were blessed with powers and others were not worthy, but this was actually not the case. They weren't blessed, they simply carried the x-gene and the others that were not carriers of the gene simply 'received' nothing, it was all due to genetics and nothing more. Assassins thought that the gift of power was based on their loyalty to Candra's laws. The randomness of the dispersed gifts based on genetics lead the Assassins to believe that Candra was truly a goddess, the Thieves were less devout. The long life spells that the Thieves enjoyed did not grant them with long memories. Jean-Luc LeBeau was a man of nearly 95, however he looked no older than 35. His father, Remy's grandfather, had given him the elxir vitale to him when he was a boy. The incredible elixir allowed him to grown up and become older but noticed he had stopped aging shortly after his 40th birthday. It would happen to Remy as well, Jean-Luc had given his sons the same elixir vitale when they reached their 13th birthdays and became active Thief members. Remy accepted the elixir vitale on his birthday but Henri did not.

"YOU! You's alive Daddy! You the best leader!" Belle nearly began to sob again.

"Baby, after you see what happened, you a fool ta believe dat. You ain't alone, Ah'm here wit' you, Ah guide you, you lead. Make...make me proud." Marius became slower, his speech became delayed.

" Papa, what do Ah do?" Belle ask becoming concerned with how slow her father was speaking and how labored his breathing was becoming.

" Go on baby, upstairs in de...in de library inna... behind a panel -behind m' desk you gonna find a gold box-boxes ...grab two. Den you...you go ta yo' brother's room put on his robe...get ta de well drop the tithe...bring an empty bottle... call on Candra. Call her..." Marius was losing consciousness, his breathing became shallow and labored.

"Daddy?" Belle said aloud growing more and frightened as her father started to fade. Belle calling for him seemed to rouse him a bit and he continued to talk.

" Ah know you scared... explain to her what happened...She- She going to be mad, it be too soon ta bring her up. A-Apologize!... be polite...Hurry! Baby...hurry!" Marius said softly as he slipped into a coma.

" Daddy?" Belle began to panic when she couldn't wake him again. "Daddy! Oh no not again! Please not again! Daddy please, Ah don't know what ta do...Ah can't see Candra alone!" She was extremely frightened and for a moment she didn't know what to do. She felt for a pulse and after a few excruciating silent moments she felt that comforting heartbeat, she would agonize for a few moments trying to pray him awake, but he never did. After a while she would accept her fate, and become the good, dedicated daughter she was. " Hang on Daddy, please hang on! Ah love you!" She raced upstairs to the library and did exactly what her Father told her. She went in the study where her father said, and behind her father's desk was a false wall that gave out and inside were millions of neatly stacked piles of money along with several small gold boxes stacked on top of each other. She retrieved two of them as instructed, and hastily and ran to her brother's room. She hated the smell of her Brother's room, it always smelled like something was rotting, but she paid it no mind as she recovered Julien's old dark leather hooded robe that the Assassins would always wear to greet Candra. Thieves always wore their long leather coats. Belle remembered the birthday when Remy received his, he was so proud. Julien's robe was far too large on her. The cuffs fell past her fingertips by at least four inches and it dragged on the ground when she walked, she would have to lift it. It made the treacherous area behind her home all the more dangerous.

There was only one safe solid path that led to the ritualistic spot that wasn't surrounded by sinkholes, it was where the two guilds would meet and receive gifts from Candra. There was only one solid path to the meeting place and Remy had shown it to her. It was only right that she use the knowledge that Remy had taught her to save her father's life. This was his fault, to think about her 'husband' filled her will rage, and sadness. She repressed it, her father was more important. She carefully avoided the dangerous sinkholes and terrain until she reached the ancient spot where nothing went. Not even birds would perch in the trees because of how dense and dark the area was. Remy had guided her well, she had little, to no problem finding the ancient spot with its stone well that protruded from the ground. The old well was dry and rose up at least four feet. And even though she would never admit it to herself, a small part of her wished Remy was with her.

* * *

 _~*~" You not scared are you?"~*~_

 _~*~"Of course I'm sacred! Don't you going acting like you're not, Remy!"~*~_

 _~*~"And don't tell me your afraid of the big scary Boogie man! Come on, Bell! You know that it won't be around here for years! "~*~_

 _~*~" Don't even think about saying her name! And you know she is a woman! Not an 'it'. Don't you believe in her? You're going to see her soon enough."~*~_

 _~*~"She's probably real, but my father's beginning to say that she isn't even a God."~*~_

 _~*~" Well my Daddy says the she is! You shouldn't even be talking about her like that. Not in this place! This is where she lives! "~*~_

 _~*~"Bell, I'll tell you what: I'll see her when I'm grown up with the rest of the Thieves and I'll tell you if she all powerful, but she's not here now! She can't hear anything!"~*~_

* * *

"Oh God, what do Ah do?" Belle repeated herself over and over again in her head, even though she knew what she needed to do. She approached the stone floor that surrounded the ancient stone well and placed the two tithe boxes on the rim. She called out Candra's name quietly almost squeaking it out, she cleared her throat and called it out again " C-Candra?..." Belle called-out audibly. She then became silent and waited to see if anything around her changed, nothing did, so she tried again, "Candra! The Assassins Guild needs you! C-CANDRA!" Belle's voice shuddered and she prayed that she would hear a response, but she also prayed that she wouldn't. She didn't know what to expect. She looked at the two gold tithe boxes glimmer in the moonlight and she was alone still. Again Belle called out "Candra! Candra, please! My Daddy-my Father Marius Boudreaux, he needs you! Please!...are you here?" Belle felt as though she were praying to God, but this was not God this was something far more terrifying. "Candra..." the last time she spoke the name she again squeaked it out and was barely audible. She then fell to her knees and was just about to cry when a light from the bottom of the well begin to glow. Belle immediately wanted to run she was terrified, the wind passing through the poplar trees made a hollow whistle that chilled her to her bones. She was exhausted but more than that, she was terrified of losing her father and that's what kept her in her place and a disembodied voice rang in her head.

" A Daughter? An Assassin Daughter?" The voice said. She had seen the robe and assumed it was the robe of an Assassin man, a female was almost a shock for Candra. For a time older women were allowed to speak were granted audience with Candra but usually it was strictly men and this was the first time a young daughter had ever directly spoken with her.

Belle nearly screamed, but could only mouth the name "Candra" and even though she made no sound and simply mouthed the name the voice actually responded.

"Why do you call me? It is far too early and you are a daughter. What has happened?" The voice was very difficult to read; it didn't sound caring but it did not sound upset either. It seemed like Candra was asking more out of curiosity. Belle did not take the time to analyze it and quickly plead her case.

" Thieves! Thieves did it to us! They killed us! We tried- we tried to follow the old laws!" Belle said, " We did as we were told, and Thieves betrayed us...they don't believe in you!" Belle didn't mean to reveal Remy's Family secret of unfaithfulness, that Remy had told her so long ago, but it was true; Jean-Luc did not believe in Candra's power. It had been far too long since he had been given any evidence she had all the power Assassins said she did, but Assassins knew better.

"What is your name, Assassin daughter?" The voice said with sudden intrigue, in the hundreds of years that Candra had been associated with the two families, being called upon before the appointed time had never happened before. The voice rang in Belle's head for a moment, she thought that she was hearing voices. Perhaps she was becoming delirious with grief and exhaustion, but the light continue to throb at the bottom of the well and that, she knew she wasn't imagining.

"Belle Donna Boudreaux." Belle squeaked out quietly and full of fear "I'm sorry," She said, " Ah did not want ta disturb you, but mah father's dyin'! Please help me! Ah bring de tithe-tithes! Ah brought two!" Now she understood why her Father had her bring two tithe boxes instead of one, double the payment. Hopefully she would agree to help them before the agreed upon time.

" Where are the other Assassins?" The voice was still difficult to read. Belle couldn't tell if the voice even cared or simply wanted to know. She sounded almost entertained by the drama of it all.

"Dead!" Belle shouted abruptly it was still sinking in that her entire family and everyone she knew was gone. " Dey dead! Ah buried dem..." She squeaked, " Ah buried dem in-inna sink hole! Dat's where Ah put 'em n'Ah buried mah...mah only Brother! Mah father is de only one who's clingin' ta life!" Belle said the words aloud, and again she felt the same boiling rage that her Father did before he slipped into his coma.

" Most are dead." Candra said matter-of-factually," ...some have just run off and will not return." she said, almost coldly. It sounded as though Candra were looking around, but never gave the indication that she was doing so. " And the Thieves Guild did it all, did they not?" Candra said, somehow knowing more and more as she spoke to the petite Assassin daughter.

"Yes..." Belle hoarsely whispered. The abandonment was as crushing as the betrayal, although she could understand her Assassin family, were completely blindsided by the ambush. Control had been teetering on the side of the Thieves Guild for nearly 15 years and the attempt to marriage the families came at a good time. Some Assassins thought now would be a good opportunity to try peace before there could be an all out war, but the Thieves only used it to their advantage and attacked; surviving Assassins would be too afraid to return.

" So, the Thieves had not only rejected the Assassin olive branch, they had set it on fire ...and extinguished it in blood." The voice echoed softly, if Belle hadn't known any better she would have sworn that Candra sounded as though she was smiling. The hatred that Belle had always rejected was finally wearing through and tearing open her heart. The acidic hatred began to consume the walls of her tolerance and burned her from the inside out.

~*~" They...They did!"~*~ Belle said in a whisper, Candra had put the ugliness of Belle's betrayal into words and the feeling was so painful it was nearly blinding. The intensity of her hatred was so strong and her need for revenge was so incredible that she was incapable of committing to one language.

"...And your Thief husband as well? He murdered the eldest Assassin son...your brother?" Candra sounded as though she were taunting her, and the mere implication of it forced Belle to confront her foolish mission of peace and its consequences.

"Yes!" Belle sobbed. Belle was convinced, more than ever, that Candra was a Goddess, how else would she know the details of what had happened that night? Her angry tears began to dry up and her eyes started to fill with unbridled fury, and she forgot her fear and began to yell at the voice with conviction.

" You are speaking the truth. The Thieves have greatly misjudged their power." Candra said " Your father will not die tonight, child. Is this all you ask of me? Simply to give your father back his life?" Candra's voice almost sounded as though she offering more, pushing the girl to ask for more. She did not have to push the girl much.

"No!" Retelling of the night events changed Belle she became furious and full of rage she was no longer scared, and in her rage she nearly forgot dying father. ~*~ " Justice!"~*~ Belle demanded ~*~" I want Justice for my family, my Brother! For me, and for all Assassins!"~*~ Belle demanded in French.

"Done." Candra said, " You will wait for me. I will not be returning to either guilds until the appropriate time."

~*~"But what do Ah do until then? What about my father!?" ~*~Belle boldly asked. Candra would not return in person to the Guilds for another decade. Belle didn't see how she would be able to wait that long. Thieves would continue to guard the property around the Boudreaux home for who knows how long, and they were landlocked. Belle fully recognized that she would be imprisoned until Candra would receive audience with both of the Guilds. She could have easily appeared in person to both Guilds whenever she wanted, but Candra felt no urgency; time made no difference to an immortal. Belle was in no position to argue; she would have to do her time.

"Daughter Assassin, you make your own revenge. I will give you what you need but it will be up to you to deliver your own Justice. Within the laws!" Candra demanded, she sounded both insulted and impressed by the girls will.

" But that won't be for years-!" Belle abruptly stopped herself she was already asking for a lot. If she could just have her Father alive and if Candra told the truth and could provide her with what she needed to take her revenge, then she would obey her Father's wishes. Together they would hide quietly and plot, and they would exact their revenge the correct way, within the old laws.

" Approach the well and take your gift, and from the well, take your fill of the elixir vitale and go to your father. We will meet again child and perhaps you will win your revenge." Candra voice echoed softly in Belle's ears. She would not simply crush the Thieves Guild as Belle wanted her to, she would have to work for her revenge and though the immortal would provide her with everything she needed to exact her revenge she was not interested in helping her any more than simply giving her the tools to do so.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Belle frantically scrambled for the bottle in her Brother's robe and she could barely believe her eyes when the light in the well rose up to the rim and with it a light green- colored swamp water, it was the elixir vitale. The elixir vitale met the rim but stopped before it could over flow; Belle approached the well and placed her hands on it, she wasn't prepared for the feeling of electricity she felt the moment she grasped the well rim. She could not scream or pull away, she dropped her bottle and tried to brace herself for what ever came next. She felt as though her entire body was being broken into fractions and forced back together; a force so sever that it slammed against her so strongly that she fell flat on her back. Unbelievably she had no problem getting up, she felt stronger, healthier; her mind became clear and her intentions became obvious. She no longer felt crippling sadness, only strength. She then quickly reached for the empty bottle and dipped it into the glowing green elixir vitale and the moment the bottle filled to the brim the light began to dim and the elixir vitale in the well began to lower, the light sank back further and further down until the well was dry and dark. The tithe boxes were gone, and she was once again alone in the dark.

From the moment she ran from the well to the time she got to her Father's side, Belle's mind was a blur. Everything seemed to move so much faster, she ran with an energy and swiftness she never thought she could achieve. Before she had spoken with Candra she had felt so weak, exhausted and on the brink of collapsing but since she accepted Candra's gift she felt stronger like she could stay up for days and tend to her father.

"Here Daddy..." Belle said as she put the bottle to her father's lips and raised his head so he could swallow the elixir vitale. She massaged his throat until she was sure that he had swallowed at least half the bottle. Her father's cheeks took on a light greenish hue for just a moment before his eyes slightly cracked open. It took a moment, but Marius recognized his daughter and managed to give her a small half-smile for his girl before closing his eyes again and fell into a deep sleep. Belle breathed an enormous sigh of relief, her father would be alright. She, herself, was stronger than she could have ever thought. She felt like she had the power in her hands and could easily crush the Thieves that betrayed her and her family.

Day after day she would bathe, feed and administer the care her father required as he slept through his recovery. Days stretched into weeks, then months and years. Even with the elixir vitale he still occasionally experienced comas during his recovery, the elixir vitale saved her father's life but it could do nothing to accelerate his ability to heal. The loneliness was excruciating. Every day she would train and learn how to fight. She trained herself from what she remembered growing up; her father had shown her brother and many of her cousins how to use a sword and how to use her body as a weapon. She was an especially apt pupil, Marius would be overwhelmingly proud of her. She would run to the edges of the property for signs of life every day. For the exception of the occasional gator or bird, nothing came across the yard. Some days her entrapment was so excruciating that she would make several attempts to leave her family home, and every time she broke and attempted to steal away to the city the ground in front of her would be shot full of strategic high powered bullets. After a while she would simply stop trying, she did not quite understand the powers that Candra had unlocked for her and even if she did she would have never left her father.

"They got us here daddy...Ah tried leaving again today. Got me nowhere, o'course! It's like Thieves hidden in de sky, itself!" Belle knelt down to her father and placed her head on his shoulder. "You're right, Daddy. You was always right, til Ah convinced you ta do t'ings mah way. Thieves ain't nothin' but monsters." Remy had never come back for her, she received no message or sign, he had abandoned her like everyone else, but Belle was in denial. She held onto hope so strongly that it was damaging, she became delusional, she wanted to believe that he was trying to save her but something was keeping him from her. In a form of complicated and desperate grief she misconstrued her anger and fear as an intense love for her 'husband', she was determined to reunite them.

* * *

 _Sorry guys I had a little snafu in the editing process and repeated some of my same material in different chapters sorry about the confusion!_


	5. Chapter 5: The Blood Eagle

Chapter 5

 **The Blood Eagle**

 _(~*~Translated from French ~*~)_

 _(Present day, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar)_

 **"...The current string of disturbingly violent murders that are plaguing the city fell under jurisdiction of the federal government today, as the eighth and most savage incident was discovered this evening..."**

Logan's attention fell on the small radio just in front of the bar, and the unsettling news it was reporting. It was a clear oversight, normally Scott and Logan would check the local news where ever they were heading to to see what was going on in the area. They did not do it this time and it was coming back on them. A serial killer would or would not put a dent in their plans. Logan felt the need to hunt, but the FBI was being called in; perhaps they would have it wrapped up before they were to leave New Orleans. Nothing got Logan's adrenaline pumping more then catching a killer.

Logan glanced from the radio back to Gambit as he sat at the bar, his solemn eyes never shifted from across the street, still glued to the Cats club. Clearly he was trying to keep his eyes lowered to keep from being recognized, nobody forgets a stare like his. Unfortunately, in his haste he forgot a pair of full-eye covering contacts that he would use for such an occasion. The last time he had to use them he was in Genosha, and though they had the unfortunate side effect of making him look stoned, they worked like a charm. Part of him however, felt that he wouldn't need them inside of New Orleans; it was a stupid miscalculation, but was difficult to blame him, since his family had always been in power there was no need for him to hide himself. The contacts were only necessary once he got out into the real world, where there was a danger of being identified; unbelievably, New Orleans had become the real world and so had the necessity to hide.

Remy would only spend a short time out in public while he waited for the others with Logan and he would only wait at the bars and restaurants that had recently opened with the exception of Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar. Lafitte's was never crowded this early in the evening. Remy thought it would be a good place to watch the Cat club across the street and wait. He wasn't very concerned about being noticed here, this particular bar prided themselves on working without electricity. Gimmick or not, the candlelight would allow him to go unrecognized. He also knew that Assassins had their old habits and hangouts.

Logan sat with his brooding teammate and waited for the others with him. He enjoyed his warm stout, and Remy was too distracted to have anything. Spring breakers laughed amongst the atmosphere. Everyone continued to celebrate with drinks, some took drugs to enhance their experiences, others attempted find company for the night. Down the bar, two very attractive men were doing just that as they openly flirted with each other. On the other side of Logan was a bald mustachioed man, probably around 40 years old, and he was obviously eyeing Gambit. He then briefly spoke to the bartender and ordered two drinks. Logan watched Gambit get a very strange look on his face as he noticed the older bald gentleman walk over to him, and oddly, Gambit very nearly laughed at him. For a moment, Logan thought this was just Gambit's uncomfortable reaction to being hit on by a man. Logan was sure he was right when the man presented him with a drink.

"It looked like you could use one." The man told Gambit. This time Gambit did laugh at him in an irritated sort of way. Logan would not intervene unless it was necessary, he was confident that he could handle himself, but he was a bit surprised when Gambit accepted the glass.

" Son of a bitch." Gambit said softly as he hung his head for a moment, the man simply smiled at him and as Gambit slowly pulled his head back up. Logan became confused when the bald gentleman good-naturedly responded.

" How de hell would you know?" The man took the second drink he had ordered, another straight bourbon, and attempted a cheers " To yo' health?" The man suggested. Gambit took his drink and swirled it a bit, he then grudgingly clinked glasses with him, but refused to drink it. Logan tried to understand what was going on, and he was mildly shocked when the bald man took a step closer to Remy, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it; Remy didn't even react.

"Bastard..." Remy muttered, and again the man looked down at him and smiled.

" Now dat, you _do_ know... Long time little brother." Henri said.

"Gambit?" Logan asked, he wasn't entirely sure if this was going to turn into a situation. He noticed the vast age difference between the two men, and Logan wondered how old their father was. Gambit made eye contact with Logan and he simply raised his palm to let him know that this wasn't a problem. Although he did look incredibly annoyed.

"Friend?" Henri asked, as he noticed the rough-looking man whom was sitting with his brother. Remy briefly looked at Logan, then back at his drink.

"No." Remy responded, he didn't bother to introduce Logan to his brother. He simply looked forward.

" Ya can't freeze me out, Remy." Henri said, this was the first time he had seen his brother in years. Clearly he was here to assist with their father and Remy couldn't ignore him no matter how much he tried. " Standin' right here. C'mon Remy ain't you-"

"De hell you been?" Remy demanded, his brother showed up out of no where for reasons he could only suspect. He was no where to be found the first time their father turned up kidnapped. The only time he ever recognized his brother's presence was when his father acquired a new business or when his father rose to a new tax bracket that he never bothered reporting. Henri was never psychically present, he just threw money at everything. " Could have used yo' help a while back ago de first time dis happened!" Remy said. His anger and disappointment were obvious. This was clearly a family matter and Logan changed his mind; even if this became a situation he wouldn't intervene, he focused on the developing radio broadcast and kept a look out for the others:

 **" Late-breaking news we're just getting word now that an eighth body has been found! All attempts to place the city on curfew is impossible due to the massive number of visiting celebrants tonight. We are on high alert and we have been urged by the studio to continue with programming all night regarding the recent string of violent serial murders. We now go live to the scene..."**

~*~"Takes a long time for word to travel over the ocean, brother."~*~ Henri said, the silence between them was most palatable, they both became very serious. Henri stopped trying to make small talk and asked the obvious question.~*~" They have him don't they?"~*~ Henri asked. Remy nodded.

~*~" So what now? Are you actually going to help this time?"~*~ Remy asked bitterly. Never had his brother reached out to him, but in all fairness Remy had never tried to contact him either. This was the first time he had seen this brother since his wedding day.

~*~" I told you I didn't know what was happening. This time I know, that's why I'm here."~*~ Henri wasn't necessarily like his father. He knew when he did wrong and keeping away from the family and avoiding his brother and his problems was a mistake he did regret. It was easier to avoid the situation than it was to meet it head-on, but at least Henri had the ability to apologize.

~*~"How good of you to interrupt business! You could have checked in. Seems like you always get to keep your hands clean, and this sort of thing always ends up in my lap!"~*~ Remy protested. And he wasn't wrong. Henri had never stood up for his brother; he should have told his father that subjecting him to the more dangerous situations because of his mutant abilities wasn't healthy. It was unfair, but the setup allowed Henri to do what he wanted, which was working with money and never having to kill anyone. Henry never had to concern himself with the dirty dealings of the business. The night of Remy's wedding, Henri didn't even stay to assist his father. He was on a plane to Monaco for whatever reason he made up that he needed to be in Monaco.

~*~" You know I'm the blood and guts that make this work. You was always the other side of the business, you know that."~*~ Henri said, ignoring the fact that he had the free will to do whatever he wanted with his life. Henri got to move money around so the Thieves had all the financial backing for everything they wanted. He loved working with money and he loved traveling the world to do so. Remy never really had the luxury of choice, until he got the nerve to walk away from the family business. It angered him that his brother picked up and left without so much as a word.

~*~" You and father made me the other side."~*~ Remy bitterly argued. Occasionally Henri would think about tracking down his brother and inviting him to come stay with him while their father did what he needed to, to take control over the organized crime syndicate in the lower south. However, Henri was busy living his own life and choose not to find time for his brother's problems.

~*~" I'm sorry it's been so long. And I'm sorry I never came to check on you, but regardless that's how it happened. I'm here now. Let me try to be your brother."~*~ Henri said, he was eager to push past the bad blood between them and was ready to retrieve their father. Remy sighed.

~*~" So what now?"~*~ For the moment he was done arguing, people apologizing to him always through him through a loop, he never knew how to react to it.

~*~"No way like the old way"~*~ Henri said, and by which he meant that Remy would handle the grunt work and he would be ready and waiting to take over once Remy was done retrieving him and risking his life. It was a poor choice of words, Remy immediately understood what this was. His "Let me be your brother" speech was garbage and it left him bitter all over again. The only reason his brother had came out to help was because he knew that the family business was in danger, and if the family business went down so would his decadent lifestyle.

~*~" Old way didn't do me any good remember? I knew you weren't coming back for me or father! It was for you! It's only what you want! Just like you both did with Belle and me!"~*~ Remy had waited a long time to talk to his brother about this, and now is as good a time as any. He knew that Henri and his father had planned the Assassin massacre. It hurt him greatly that he was used as no more than a pawn by his father and brother, and he was furious that they would use Belle as an expendable pawn. Henri, however, saw things very differently; Remy could have asked what was going on, but he chose to turn a blind eye and go through with the wedding anyway. Remy never asked any direct questions, even though he was certain his father and brother were planning something. Henri didn't know that Remy was carrying on a friendship with the Boudreaux girl he didn't even know they had met previously. He couldn't understand why his brother would care so much about a bunch of dead Assassins. The only thing that made sense was the murder itself; that had to be what was tearing him apart, which was completely understandable, Henri wasn't comfortable with murder either; but Henri felt that his brother's conscience should be clean. He had only killed the eldest Bordeaux son out of self-defense, it was necessary; kill or be killed. Julien Bordeaux was a indescribable sadist, Henri knew his brother had no other choice but to kill the Assassin son.

"Remy-" Henri said, he knew this was coming and he knew full well that he couldn't avoid talking about what had happened the night the Assassins Guild was massacred. The difference between Remy and Henri is that Remy had a very hard time apologizing or taking responsibility for anything. It was a self preservation reaction, if Remy accepted his roll in the matter he would lose his mind. Henri on the other hand could recognize his part in all of this; he knew what he did wrong, but spinelessness ran in the family and running away from difficult situations was kind of a tradition at this point.

~*~" I didn't know what you and father were planning, but you could have given me a warning!"~*~ Remy protested. Henri's face grew red and with anger, his brother was as blind as their father could be sometimes.

~*~" You knew what was happening! You knew what was happening the entire time!" ~*~ Henri demanded ~*~" Because you chose not to ask questions or face the truth, is not my fault!"~*~ Henri felt like he was speaking to their father, he was so quick to blame everyone and everything around him, or just full out deny the reality of what happened. It was true that he unfairly bared the brunt of his father's plan but Remy could have prevented it all if he took a stand, he chose to close his eyes to it all. What was done was done, it was time to move on.

"Hell it wasn't! ~*~ You come in here with your I want to be your brother bullshit and this is what it's really about isn't it?! Power and doing as little work as it takes to get it! And here you go stepping on my back to make it happen!"~*~ Remy demanded. He had been waiting more than 10 years to say this out loud and though the person he really should have been lashing out at was his father, but he would settle for his brother.

~*~" You and father are the same damn person! You only see what you want to see! Only believe what you wanna believe, even though you know it's a lie! You are more his son than I am!~*~ Henri angrily demanded, he attempted to keep his voice down but it didn't matter because Remy was not trying to be nearly as discreet.

"AH AIN'T LIKE HIM!" Remy abruptly shot up from his seat. The bar stool slammed against the old wooden floor, prompting onlookers to direct their attention to the argument going on at the bar. Logan kept his back to the commotion, he was determined to finish his stout before it got too cold, and the radio was far more deserving of Logan's attention than the family dispute going on behind him and focused more on the radio playing behind the bar:

 ** _"...WDSU channel 6 action news reporting live on the seen of another grisly homicide. There was push by local officials to cancel the Spring Break celebration, but cancellation by the city and local businesses would not detour the crowds currently flooding the city. The eighth body in two months was discovered this evening just outside of city limits. The homicides have been linked by the level of brutally, sadistic methodology."_**

"Hey bub, would ya turn up the radio?" Logan asked. The bartender paid Logan no mind as he kept his attention on the two men arguing in his bar. Logan grunted, annoyed that he did not get what he wanted, he simply reached over the bar and turned it up himself:

 ** _"...a truly horrific sight here in New Orleans, on what is supposed to be a time of celebration and fun for all of those visiting, has been tarnished by the recent string of extremely violent serial murders. What we have now is a eighth reported murder of a New Orleans man...mutilated and th-then-and then put on display. We are hearing that there have been similarities made to Danny Rollings, the_ _Gainesville Ripper! More than a dozen, just this week, have been thought to be part of the spree, although there has been no evidence to back up such allegations..."_**

~*~" You as bad as me, you got blood on your hands and you walked away too! It just took you longer!"~*~ Can't blame no one fo'dat!" Henri recognized the look on his face from when Remy was small and immediately lowered his voice. ~*~ Let it go brother...they were just Assassins." ~*~ Henri said softly.

~*~" 'JUST'?!"~*~ Remy snapped, that comment was the final straw, and he landed a healthy punch to his brother's chin. Henri was taken so off-guard that the force of the punch caused him to spin around and land on table full of drinks, spilling them all over the group of students that were watching the drama unfold. Belle was not "just" anything. Belle was his best friend, Belle was a person, someone that loved him so much that she was willing to marry someone that she wasn't in love with to save their lives. He instantly felt like that drink now.

~*~"Hey! You two! Take it out of the bar!"~*~ The bartender demanded. Remy looked at the bartender briefly and quickly downed the bourbon that his brother had ordered him and turned to leave. Henri was right about one thing, his brother definitely did need that drink, he then grabbed his brother by the arm and approached the exit.

" Ah'll wait fo' de others outside!" Remy said over his shoulder, as he took a dazed Henri out into the street. The bartender immediately turned his attention to Logan and narrowed his eyes.

~*~" Is he talking to you? You with them? You gotta go too if you're with them!"~*~ The bartender demanded, ready to call over the bouncer to remove Logan as well. Logan looked at his beer and then looked back at the bartender. Logan intently continued to listen to the radio.

~*~" No, I'm not. Not til after another stout anyway."~*~ Logan replied back in French the bartender pressed his lips together in annoyance and grudgingly served Logan another warm beer. Logan paid him no mind as the small radio delivered it's unsettling news; the police officer that spoke sounded shaken as he attempted to keep his nerves:

 ** _"...this ...this is like nothing I've ever-ever seen before, we haven't had it this bad since_ _the Baton Rouge Serial Killer! The victims seem to share a commonality that they are all New Orleans natives, but the rate at which we are finding these bodies have forced us to call in federal officials, and until we have the suspect or suspects in custody we advise all of those out, especially those celebrating tonight, to be diligent and do not go anywhere alone! Travel in groups! This may get uglier before it gets better."_**

* * *

Outside, the streams of of people flowing into town packed the streets. They happily danced as they made their ways to different bars, and with the disorienting thumping music no one would never notice Remy pulling his wobbly brother along and in to a narrow alleyway. The strong smell of old crayfish and fish reeked from the restaurant garbage, which was fine, it kept away anyone attempting to dip into the same alley.

~*~"Well."~*~ Henri said, impressed by the strength and speed of his little brother's punch. ~*~" Now that that's out of your system..."~*~ He said as he tried shaking off the stars that he saw, he rubbed his face and willed his vision to stop doubling. ~*~" Can we talk about how we're going to deal with this?"~*~

~*~" Will you stop! You're asking me how I'm going to deal with this, aren't you?"~*~ Remy asked, as he helped his brother stand by propping him up against a brick wall.

~*~" I mean 'we' and if you could stop playing the martyr for a moment, I found some friendly faces on my way in."~*~ Henri said. Remy looked up and noticed two of his father's oldest friends, and to Remy, these faces were anything but friendly. They were both long time Thief members, and both were nearly 240 and 280 years old, though they both looked to be in their late 30's; a miraculous side effect of the elixir vitale, it had been years and they still never accepted the idea of Jean-Luc's mutant son.

"Huh, what's de occasion?" Remy asked in cold sarcasm, he was raised with these men and their utter disdain for him. The very sight of his uncle's unnerved him they usually never made themselves seen unless the situation was truly dire. One of the men glared at him, the other simply refuse to acknowledge his existence. It seemed as the night went on Remy was seeing people from his past that he wanted to see less and less.

~*~" Henri, you are a good son to go after your father, these are difficult times for the family.~*~ Said the one man that wouldn't even acknowledge Remy's existence, the man was Laurent LeBeau-Bouguereau, he rudely refused to notice or even look at Remy. Laurent was a French born Thief member that had been the son of a mother that was a founding Thief Guild member, whom was long since dead, and his father was a wealthy merchant from Spain; Laurent never met him, however he did inherit his fortune which helped propel the Thieves Guild as a dominating force in the New America. He hated the decision his great-great-great grand nephew, Jean-Luc, had made to take in the toxic blood of a mutate. Laurent even went as far as to nearly drown Remy when he was a toddler, and though he was interrupted before he could kill the child, he was never founded out. After that incident Jean-Luc was attached to the boy and took him every where. Laurent could never understand the love in Jean-Luc's eyes for his mutant-pet. Both men would never understand why Jean-Luc ever chose to take in the boy, and they nearly left the Guild when Jean-Luc announced that he had every intention of making Remy a Thief member. If they hadn't been so desperate to regain control over the city again and so thirsty was their need for revenge, they would have never considered accepting help from him, and that was still only if Henri would facilitate.

~*~" With all due respect Uncle, it was my brother that retrieved our father the first time and he will be going this time as well."~*~ Henri would not allow his brothers accomplishments to go unnoticed. He understood the hatred his uncles had for his brother, and he founded it asinine and exhausting.

~*~*" Do you believe that _it_ will be successful?"~*~ Said Moussa Deschamps de Lussat , in total disgust. Moussa was a very muscular, serious man with nearly blue-black skin; he was meticulously shaved and he wore a suit that costed as much as a Lexus. As a native of Africa he had the unique experience of encountering a free-black New Orleans in 1801, just before the Louisiana purchase. When he arrived, New Orleans was a Spanish/Black/Creole run society. He then encountered incredible racism along side the free, the simultaneous freedom/slavery culture forged him an equality that allowed him entry into the Thieves Guild very long ago. And though he had come to understand ridiculous forms of racism this one seemed to be merited; this has nothing to do with skin color or creed or place of origin, it was the very being of what made a person a person and Remy was unnatural.

~*~" 'It' was successful the last time and 'it' is standing right here!"~*~ Remy angrily announced. Even after all this time, and everything that they were currently facing, they could not offer Remy the slightest bit a civility. When Jean-Luc first brought Remy home, these men had ordered Jean-Luc to give the boy back, his eyes were perceived as bad luck and his abilities were later considered evil. Moussa and Laurent were old-fashioned and very superstitious; they would never speak to Remy and they avoided him, even after he had became an official member of the Thieves Guild. They had gotten word that Remy was home to retrieve Jean-Luc like he had the last time and due to the outrageous violence that the "Rippers" were now attacking Thief members with, they could no longer afford to avoid the mutant as a possibility. They had never given the youngest LeBeau son any credit for any of his contributions before, and they saw no reason to start now. They would only speak to Henri, even though Remy stood right next to his brother; they acted as though he wasn't even there. They would not deny the mutant boy's help because they were out of options, they were more than willing to reprise their roles as higher Thief Guild members again and so severe was the recent violence that the Thieves endured from the Assassins that it made them desperate. Henri had assured them that his younger brother would handle things and that they would be back in business again very soon. The offer was too good to turn down. It was such a good offer they were willing to overlook Remy's mutation and allow him to help.

~*~" He is right Uncle, do you not remember the gift that my brother possesses? He uses them for the Thieves Guild, and Remy will assure you your rightful place."~*~ Henri said respectively. Remy was a little taken aback he didn't expect his brother to stand up for him the way he was. It had been a long time since Henri played brother's keeper. When they were younger they were taught to never talk back or contradict any of the older members. Henri was doing just that for the sake of his brother's honor. Henri hated his Uncle Laurent, he was the one that interrupted his dear Uncle Laurent from drowning his baby brother so long ago, and from that moment on, he, and his father never left Remy alone. Henri's own personal form of protection was to constantly remind the other Thief members that Remy was his brother and he was not ashamed of him.

~*~" It would be far more honorable to lie down with the dead than accept his unnatural 'gift', but it is the manner of death that is the real insult...Your mutant must deliver."~*~ Laurent believed that the only way to attain additional powers, that were not of this world, was through the Guild, through Candra. They did not understand any matters of genetics or mutations, you may as well have been explaining to them the face of death, they could not and would not understand.

" Puttin' a lot o'faith in you Henri...and de mutie." Said Moussa, his voice filled with the ugliest hatred Remy had ever heard.

"Mutie?!" Remy asked, outraged. 'Mutie' was truly a disgusting term bore from hatred and ignorance, just like how the words 'nigger' or 'faggot' were used to hurt people; 'mutie' was used for mutants. It was a word they had learned just to lower Jean-Luc's mutant. The insult hit Remy in the pit of his stomach and immediately made his blood boil, he stepped forward to face down the men that would gladly accept his help but thought calling him something so derogatory to his face was acceptable.

"Remy!" Henri said his name firmly, and placed a palm on his brother's chest to push him away from the two older Thieves. He then spoke closely in his brother's ear, "Let me handle dis okay? We do dis fo' father not dem, eh?" Remy did not respond, he just crossed his arms and looked away in anger.

~*~" How quickly can you have this done, Henri? Assassins moved strong and quick, Thief members that are being taken and killed! And all because of that-that thing!"~*~ Laurent didn't bother to hide his hatred for Remy either and angrily pointed at him. Remy slammed his back against the brick wall of the restaurant defiantly, he bit his tongue and continued to cross his arms tightly.

~*~" Uncle please, you know Assassins don't need my brother as an excuse to kill us. They have been killing us long before my brother came."~*~ Despite the arguing and non-involvement, Henri did care for his brother and growing up he did look after Remy as his father did.

~*~" But he is right, nephew! We are being killed and displayed! You know as well as I do that they're trying to flush the mutant out! They got a bone to pick with him for whatever reason but we are the ones paying the price!"~*~ Moussa said. Henri narrowed his eyes in confusion, he didn't understand what his uncle was talking about. ~*~" You have not been in New Orleans recently you don't understand the murders that are going on as we speak. Television and all of the electronics have used the word 'serial killer' this word explains what has been happening to our family members. It's the Rippers and their blood eagles!" Said Moussa, though he had been alive for a very long time, he was not an immortal and he was by no means invulnerable. A very familiar crippling fear gripped Remy's stomach and wrench it, he hadn't felt a fear like this since he was a teenager. It sounded far too familiar; it could not be possible.

~*~" Their what?"~*~ Henri briefly glanced at his brother, the look on Remy's face was unsettling; any anger Remy had, had drained from his face and was replaced with a nervous fear, he looked ill.

~*~"Blood eagles! Ripping open our family and spreading out their insides for the world to see! It is a sight seen in hell, nephew... They rip open the chests, they keep the hearts-Only God knows why! And they break the ribs open to look like bird wings! They are Assassins but now they are also 'serial killers'-Rippers!"~*~ Laurent voice was a mix of anger and fear.

Remy felt his face go pale, this is what the radio in the bar had been talking about; there was a serial killer out on the loose but it had nothing to do with murder in the traditional sense, this was revenge. It was personal, the murders were a new breed of Assassin brutality that was paying homage to Julien Bordeaux by practicing his unique and grotesque calling card. Remy should have recognized it, but there were tell-tale details that even the media was too scared to report and he had far too much on his mind to think about it, but now with his fellow Thieves confirming the horrifying details he could not deny the similarities. Was Julien Boudreaux alive? Remy knew that could not be possible, there was no way. Remy had murdered the man with his own hands, the eldest Boudreaux son was certainly dead! The thought of Julien's killing habits still loose in the world was horrifying, cutting out the heart was a new thing, but opening them up and displaying the blood eagle was the uncanny resemblance that Julien was known for. Moussa and Laurent were describing specifics only Remy was aware of, it was how he was meant to die if he hadn't killed Julien on the night of his wedding.

~*~" He's right nephew, they are preying on us and if I didn't know that the mutant was going after John-Luc, I would hand him over! A blood eagle would be a befitting death seeing as how our own are being massacred because of him!" Moussa's fear began to intensify as they spoke of the killing spree. The display of the deceased was, arguably, the worst part, once the Thief victims were cracked open and displayed, the bodies were being suspended in trees by hooks that dug into the flesh of their backs. The backs were skinned, this was strictly for an ornamental display; the torn jagged strips of skin resembled proud morbid wings. The dripping, decaying angels were suspended in front of the homes of Thief members as warnings. Somehow these new Assassins/Rippers were finding the homes of Thief members and leaving these gruesome calling cards. This sickness inducing sight of family being strung up with their rib cages open and innards emptied all over their front lawns with their absent hearts, was enough to cause these bigoted ancient men to abandon their hatred and grudgingly accept help from the unnatural LeBeau son.

~*~"... This isn't real, this isn't real..."~*~ Remy repeated over and over in his mind, but he knew that there was no denying it, it finally made sense. Rippers were called Rippers because they were literally ripping open their victims to send messages to living Thieves members. Remy felt like a kid again, suddenly he felt like the same young man that was roped into marrying his best friend, and wearing his father's ill fitting tux; a scrawny kid that thought he was doing some good in this world, only to be placed in front of a monster and expected to fight to the death. Just thinking about it made him feel like throwing up.

~*~" We will not go quietly...here, nephew."~*~ Moussa said, passing a piece of paper to him. ~*~" It is the way to the newly build Assassin home."~*~ his Uncle said firmly, it was the missing piece of the puzzle, they needed this very useful bit of information, seeing as even if they had the floor plan of the Assassin's home they still didn't know exactly where it was and his father had limited time to live.

~*~" How did you get this?"~*~ Henri was shocked he had no idea that they had taken additional measures to make sure that he had what he needed to retrieve his father. With all the talk of the blood eagles and the Rippers, and the thirst for Thief blood he was surprised that both of his uncles stood before him still alive and breathing. It was at that moment Henri realized his life was in danger too. He had no idea what he was stepping into once he arrived in New Orleans, now everything was horrifically clear. As he looked back at his brother, and his Uncles, and thought about his father, he decided that this time he would not run. He would stay, he would make sure that his father was safe and that his brother stayed alive. That was the ultimate retribution for abandoning him so long ago, he needed to stay to vindicate himself. For the first time in years, Henri would stand up and actually act like the older brother.

~*~" You...Your cousin Celine...she gave everything to get this..."~*~ Lauren said sadly. It did not surprise Remy that his Uncles had sent someone else to retrieve the directions. He had never met his cousin Celine and his Uncles would never accept that her death was on their hands. He wondered how many of his cousins were dead now that his Uncles had been sending them on such a dangerous chores.

~*~" My God..."~*~ Henri said speechless. He had became an official Thief member alongside his cousin Celine; she had taken Elixir Vitale when they were both young, and though Henry had refused to drink the gift and continued to age naturally, he still kept good memories of his cousin. He was shocked but her death and enraged by the manner in which death came to her.

~*~" She was one of the first. She would not want sorrow, just revenge! Revenge for all of us." ~*~ Moussa said firmly, the sight of his great-great niece was appalling, the disoriented look on her face was twisted in horrible torment, she had clearly died crying. They couldn't even give her a proper funeral. Local authorities had kept the body for evidence, she was the second body to be found by the New Orleans Police.

~*~"Get your father, nephew. Do not allow him to follow the same fate.~*~ Laurent warned, he continued to pay no attention to Remy, whom was fighting the urge to hyperventilate in unrelenting panic. His stomach felt as though it would turn over on itself, the idea of his father experiencing such a horrible death was rage inducing to say the least, the very thought made him want to scream. The first time his father was taken was very different, he thought he was dealing with some wannabe Assassin-street gang, but now as the truth came out they were far more vicious and the stakes were much higher than he had originally thought. His father being taken was one thing, but the resurgence of the Assassins coupled with the viciousness of the murdering spree, and the sudden disappearance of the Thieves, sent Remy's mind into a fury. This all was so much like Julien, Remy's head was spinning, this had to be the work of the surviving Assassins. But which ones?

~*~" If the only way to fight this evil, is with evil... then so be it."~*~ Laurent said grimly. The Uncles hastily said goodbye to their nephew. They were eager to retreated to their safe houses. Henri watched them eye Remy for a moment; it was almost as though they couldn't believe that it had come to this: putting their lives into the hands of a mutant. Remy couldn't be bothered to glare as he tried to steady his breathing.

~*~" See you in hell then."~*~ Remy thought bitterly, as he held his stomach. Henri walked over to him.

"You okay?" Henri asked, in the in the moments that Henri had spoken with his Uncles Remy looked as though he had aged 10 years. Remy then looked up at his brother and held up a finger to give himself a moment, he then walked to the side of the dumpster and promptly threw up. He didn't care that Moussa and Laurent were watching him, their disappointment was obvious.

" Ah'm perfect!" Remy angrily stated in a demanding tone, as he took in painful breaths. Henri suddenly became overwhelmed with worry, it felt as though Remy knew something he didn't and what he knew was clearly sickness inducing. Henri made it his business to keep away from the more gruesome aspects of the family business, but he liked to think that he wasn't ignorant of what the Assassins were capable of. This had to be a desperate scare tactic, what his uncles had described was so horrific it was difficult to believe.

" Yeah okay, this death bird thing is really bad, but you know as well as I do Assassin's do all sorts of things ta knock us off our game." Henri made a poor attempt to remain positive.

"Not like dis!" Remy snapped at his brother's naivety. Henri had distanced himself so much from the ugliest part of the business for so long he didn't understand how serious this was. Remy decided then and there that he could not survive the death of his brother and father; the picture in his mind of both of them strung up with their rib-cages cracked open and their organs spilling and dripping down their legs is what ultimately made him throw up. ~*~" You were right...I am the one that has to deal with this, not you."~*~ Henri was shocked, and even more shocking was that he had no intention of leaving his brother this time.

" Ah ain't gonna abandon you dis time. Ah won't be far behind you, n' Ah be dere once you got father." It was unfortunate Henri had only become mildly concerned with Remy after his wedding. He was very impressed with the prominent change in his behavior, he was more like his father after the wedding and the death of the Assassin daughter. He had become more like their father then Henri ever thought, which was both a bad and a good thing; though his father could be irresponsible and selfish he was also protective and loving, and he could be brave, even reckless; just like Jean-Luc. Any sort of caution and restraint he had displayed as a kid was now completely gone. ~*~" I am so sorry for leaving this mess with you. I know-"~*~

" Shut up. Ah already threw up once. We ain't got a whole lot of time, we got de place, now Ah need ta get us de layout n'Ah might get outta dis alive." Remy said. This comment appeared to disturb Henri greatly, he did not want to think about his father or his brother dying tonight.

~*~" I don't need to hear that! You can do this."~*~ Henri said, he felt immediate regret. He had meant to look after his brother more often but he fell into his own life and never followed up. As far as he knew his father had made arrangements for him to live and hide in the city with family associates; and by then he was far too distracted with all of the work of the family business to concern himself about his younger brother. Henri took a moment to look at the Assassin's location. From down the alley they could hear their Uncles argue with each other. Blaming the other for the lack of options, as if there was something anyone could have done to prevent all of this; ultimately they would agree that this was all the mutant boy's fault. Hearing this, Henri and Remy looked at each other for a moment and actually began to laugh. They recognized the same thing at the same moment: Though Henri looked older then his uncles, but these ancient men acted their age and bickered with each other like a couple of scared old fools.

"Some t'ings never change, eh?" Remy said still laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and the laughter relaxed him a bit, it always did.

"Don't min' dem, dey jus' don't understand." Henri assured his brother still laughing as well. That was a trait they all shared, though Henri was regarded as a serious type, finding a way to laugh in the middle of tragedy was always something the LeBeau men could do.

"Dey understand enough ta know what Ah am." Remy said, it was aggravating that even among his own Guild he was an outcast, if it wasn't for his father and brother they would have him leave. They accepted the fact he was useful, but he would never be entirely accepted no matter how many times he would save their lives.

"Remy, Ah don' care you a mutant. Never did, you m'brother." Henri smiled, and this was very true. Henri was always proud of his brother, just as his father was. Henri never really cared that Remy was the favorite, mostly because he saw what life was like for the favorite LeBeau son and he wanted none of it.

" Some consolation..." Remy joked.

"Don' say dat! Ah tried ta look after you like a brother should, an', an'...an' Ah sure was always jealous o' you like a brother." Henri said, suddenly distracted and smiling in a different way.

"Huh?" Remy asked.

"Who's dis?" Henri was used to beautiful women coming up to his brother all the time, but this one was particularly lovely. Her intense green eyes fixated on his brother and he couldn't help but be intrigued. He was particularly surprised when Remy turned around and addressed her.

"Rogue?" Remy noticed her immediately in the large crowd, as always, she always commanded his attention in the way she walked, and the way she looked and tonight she looked undeniably alluring. Remy's intrigue with her was so intense he forgot his fear and anxiety. This wash of relief and calm did not go unnoticed by his older brother, he was immediately interested in this stunning girl. The funny little non-smile on his brother's face also caught Henri's attention.

" 'lo, Remy..." Rogue said quietly she looked down at her hands and waited for Remy to say something else, but he didn't. The awkward silence between them was obvious, Henri was moments away from embarrassing his brother. He had never seen Remy like this, he seemed so serious around this girl. Henri resisted the urge to torment his brother, however he was more than willing to break the silence.

"Remy, ain't you gonna introduce me?" Henri then smiled at Rogue in a flirtatious way, partially because he wanted to get a rise out of his brother. He was interested to see why he was so uncharacteristically awkward around this girl. Who was she? Was she someone special? He may not have had a very close relationship with his brother but the one thing he did know about him is that he never lost his head over a girl.

"No." Remy remarked dryly and quickly over his shoulder, hopefully his brother would get the point and just shut up for the rest of the conversation. This was very difficult for him, this was the first time he had seen the Rogue since leaving the school, and her looking particularly beautiful in the middle of bourbon street was an incredibly welcome sight. Henri passed his eyes back and forth from Rogue's non-eye contact to Remy's non-eye contact and felt compelled to break the silence once again.

" Wait I beg your pardon Miss are you one like m' brother?" Henri loved the shocked-speechless look on his brother's face as he attempted to get to know this possible sister-in-law. Since mutants were still a brand new thing and all of the talk of mutant in the media was negative, was a very unusual social faux pas; asking if somebody was a mutant was very similar to asking them if they were gay or what religion they were. It just seemed impolite and Remy was mortified. Rogue smiled a bit, she found it endearing that Remy was a younger brother and that he was clearly trying to make him uncomfortable. Rogue had made a bit of eye contact with Henri and in that moment they had agreed that they would embarrass Remy for their own entertainment, clearly they shared the same wicked mean streak.

"Huh. Ain't nobody like your brother." Rogue smiled and replied quickly. Henri didn't know if that was an insult or a compliment, he liked her immediately.

"Girlfriend?" Henri asked, suddenly interested as to what extent his brother knew this girl. Rogue couldn't help but appreciate that and gave Henry a small grin. She was very interested as to what his answer would be as well. She even cross your arms and looked at Remy waiting patiently for an answer. Henri had never seen Remy like this before, and he was quite taken by a girl that would help him torment his younger brother.

"No." Remy said through the side of his mouth, he suddenly felt like he was a kid again being agitated by his big brother.

"She available then?" Henri once again smiled and winked at Rogue.

"No!" Remy said, annoyed, he then turned to his brother, whom was smiling smugly at him. Remy grabbed him by the collar and hissed in his ear. "Will you jus' get goin'! Ah gotta get dis done n' you better be waitin' when it's over!" ~*~" AND don't get too close when I go after father. Promise me you will keep your distance until I get him, okay?"~*~

"Remy-" Henri mildly objected.

~*~" Promise me! A real promise!"~*~ Remy demanded. He needed to hear him promise, he was suddenly appreciative of his brother's cowardly nature, it would help him keep his distance from him as he rescued their father. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him safe, this brief reunion was enough to remind him how important his family was to him.

~*~" Okay, okay! I promise, but you owe me a drink and an explanation of that pretty little thing."~*~ Henri said as he looked past his brother and smiled again at Rogue. Rogue sweetly and knowingly waved at him, Henri participating in the joke waved back also, this annoyed and mortified Remy.

~*~" No...just do your part-"~*~ Remy was understandably surprised when his brother hugged him, being comfortable with affection was a trait the LeBeau men shared as well.

~*~" Do yours and stay alive, little brother."~*~ Henri said in his usual serious tone. He then turned and almost like a phantom, he blended and disappeared into the busy crowd. Remy took in a deep breath and turned back to Rogue.

"Brother, huh? Ah didn't even know ya had a brother." Rogue said, they certainly acted like brothers. She wanted to ask about how far apart in age they were to each other; Henri almost looked old enough to be his father, but now was not the time.

"Me either, but he shows up ta remind me sometimes...Thanks fo' comin'." Remy said sincerely. He looked into Rogue's eyes, getting lost in them was far too easy.

" Had to... Ah had to." Rogue said, he had the look of a man that was in over his head. Whatever he and his brother had talked about must have changed his perspective on accepting help. She was relieved that when Remy had thanked her, it meant he was done running from them.

"Look at you." Remy smiled at her and looked her over, "Dis de blendin' in Logan tol' me 'bout?" He loved the nude body suit, not only because he could see more of her but because she looked confident and comfortable.

" A suggestion from yer friend Aggie." Rogue smiled, again she wanted to ask him questions, but again, now was not the time.

"Aggie? Well dis definitely something else Ah gotta thank her fo'." Remy was back to his flirting, which mildly annoyed Rogue. His attitude towards her was becoming confusing again, so she tried to focus why they were there.

" Logan says we got a plan, where do you want me-er us-er all of us, where do you want all of us?" Rogue asked. Remy smiled at her again and looked at the old Cat Club behind them.

" We gotta a party ta get to." Remy smiled, and took her hand firmly and lead her into the club.

 _(To be continued...)_


	6. Chapter 6: Let's Dance

Chapter 6

 **Let's Dance**

 _(~*~Translated from French ~*~)_

 _(Present day, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Cat Club)_

The club was old and full of history. The old wood it was made from was worn and creaky from years of dancing and vibration of music. The balcony/loft above the doorway looked unsafe and rickety under the weight of the band showering the lively crowd with a wild harmonious union of traditional Zydeco dancing music, and thundering rock. The crowd responded by dancing song after song and begging for more as they used the music as an excuse to grind and move with their lovers, be they prospective, temporary, or eternally dedicated. They all laughed and drank, picked fights, flirted and made loud offensive jokes. The club was a long and somewhat narrow space, the bar was long and started just beyond the dance floor and lined the wall, stopping just before the private VIP areas. The other side of the bar was all seating, which was nearly half-empty whenever the band played as the majority of guests flocked to the dance floor.

Logan walked closely behind Bobby and Scott, he surveyed the club and weighted the pros and cons of bar, dance floor, and seating areas. The crowded bar would make cover easy, they could possibly get what they came for and leave without anyone knowing. However, the crowd was also a concern: the more people there were, the better chance for someone to get hurt.

"Rowdy place." Scott thought as he surveyed the active bar area, as well as the dark corners that he was sure illegal and dangerous activity was taking place and that's where they needed to keep watch. This type of atmosphere didn't appeal to Scott at all, he couldn't understand how anyone could find this fun. It was too chaotic, loud and frankly, obnoxious. Gambit and Rogue however couldn't be more disappointed that they were working, they remained relatively successful at staying focused on the task at hand but the music and dance floor beckoned.

"Keep your head in the game kid." Logan warned. He noticed Rogue's glistening eyes and intrigued smile as she watched the exuberant dancing and lively music. Logan could tell that she very much wanted to be a part of it and though she was dressed for the part she was on assignment and could not deviate.

"Ah know." Rogue said knowingly, it mildly offended her that Logan would talk to her like she was a little kid still, though it didn't happen often anymore, she did notice it tended to happen more when she was around Remy and the closer he was the more Logan would exercise his parental right; all good fathers keep a close watch. The best way to show Logan that she wasn't a kid anymore would be to just keep focused and stay on task.

" I'm also talking ta you." Logan said addressing Bobby who was eyeing anything in a low cut top. Logan felt that bringing Bobby on this trip was a bad move, this type of atmosphere was far too tempting for a curious, hormonal guy like Bobby. And just as Logan came to this conclusion, Bobby proved his point.

" I am, I am I- huh..." Bobby's attention was hijacked by a brunette in a ridiculously short skirt in mid response; he was in danger of coming down with a case of whiplash when the bartender immediately stole his attention with the help of a translucent shirt. He was temporarily brought back to reality by Logan pushing him forward. The older local crowd that had come out to watch the dancing and celebration smirked at the young man. They remembered a time when they sneaked into this club when they were his age, but they would have never brought their fathers with them.

"Gambit, you see your guy anywhere?" Scott asked in the same rigid tone he always used when commanding the field, something about it got under Remy's skin; thankfully he was too distracted to be bothered by it. Gambit didn't respond, as he was discreetly scanning the crowd. The first place he would look would be the VIP sections of the seating areas. Surely Noly would take advantage of the money he was making to show off to the spring break population, women especially. Noly's downfall was certainly an overactive libido, he loved women and, in turn, was reckless around them; Remy planned to work that to his advantage.

"What's this guy look like?" Rogue asked, as she scanned the crowd as well. She was fully aware that Remy held her hand on the way in, she had attempted to let go but it felt as though Remy wouldn't let her. She thought for a moment that he was being remorseful for avoiding her, but she was wrong. Remy held on to her hand for two reasons: one, the reason he would admit to, was for a cover. He planned to use Rogue as a distraction, a man walking into a bar solo was a tell-tale sign of a man on a mission; that sort of attention he didn't want. However, a man with a date, the mission is clear: to party with his lady, no mystery in that. Two, the reason he wouldn't admit to, was comfort. In the last eight hours he was hit with nearly 15 years worth of fear, anxiety and personal trauma. He damned his brother for reminding him how much he actually cared for the guy, now the stakes were higher and Rogue felt like home, safe, comforting and she gave him a feeling of support he hadn't felt since he had Belle in his life. Usually he could handle his own wounds, but this was just too much in such a short amount of time, and she was so willing to be at his side; he couldn't turn that away, not when he needed it so badly.

"Brace yo'self Cher, and don' react ta me." Remy cautioned her.

"Okay, why?" To her horror, confusion, and secret delight, Remy smiled at her menacingly and stepped behind her, he then slid his hands around her waist and pressed his hands to her waist and abdomen. He continued to smile as he pressed his chest firmly to her back. He lowered his head to speak closely in her ear. Remy's warm whisper caused Rogue to immediately blush, but she was trying not to react as he instructed her.

" Don' react, jus' smile." Remy repeated. Remy had done this before with many different women, some of them knew, some of them didn't, but it worked every time. He was impressed, Rogue only wavered slightly but she took direction very well.

"Remy what do you think yer doin'?" Rogue asked as calmly as she could. She was a women divided, half of her wanted to shove him away and punch him in the neck, the other half wanted to pull him close and procure a private room. The conflicting emotion made her angry; she achieved a marvelous poker face as she asked her pressing question.

"Keep smiling..." Remy said as he motioned over to the corner of the VIP portion of the bar. "Go along wit' dis, wit' you Ah got a reason ta hide mah face, n' you can be close enough ta tell me what's goin' on. If Ah'm close ta you den Ah got a reason ta not look up." Despite the obvious self-gratification, he was right. She could clearly see for him without Remy being recognized and she could easily tell him everything she saw. His nearness served a purpose too, he could easily use his body to steer her where ever he wanted to go and a beautiful girl like Rogue would be noticed before he would. Remy never used a partner when he ran any sort of game, he was a solo act when it came to cons and thieving. He had used women as cover before, having a date was a great excuse for all sorts of things when you ran a score. Dates served as a good distraction or as a person to blame while he made his get away. He wasn't all too proud of that, but he couldn't deny how well it worked.

" Ah hope ya realize Ah'm aching ta throw you against that wall..." Rogue threatened him and she worked very hard not to stammer as a rush of delicious excitement ran over her due to his hand slithering over the curves of her hips and across her abdomen.

"Ah stopped listening after 'aching'." Remy practically purred in her ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to raise in a plague of goosebumps. Remy was getting a little too into this role than he intended, but it was a knee-jerk reaction whenever he pulled a job; whenever you attempted a score you had to commit to the role. Almost like a method actor, the more you believed yourself and the more committed you were to the ruse, the more successful you would be at hooking your target. Remy never thought to think about the consequences of employing Rogue as part of his plan, which was his first mistake of the night.

"Death, Cajun. Death as soon as we get home." Rogue smiled sweetly as she threaten his life. Behind the threatening joke was hurt, hurt that this was out of necessity and anger that it felt so good.

"Ah'll make it up ta you, just keep on smilin' n' look ta yo'left. Do you see him? Tall, dark guy in white, n' wit' de girls all over him?" Remy asked. He convinced himself he was playing a role as he continued to menacingly smile and look as though he were flirting with his "date". It was plain to see that the smile on his face was genuine, but Rogue wouldn't allow herself to think it was anything but a facade. Remy found himself in the strangest situation: his body was reacting without him even needing to think about it, he felt as though he was running mechanically as if it was any other job, but there was no way he could deny reveling in the scent of her hair and warmth of her skin through the thin layers of fabric. He knew there was tension and danger of what laid ahead, but after he felt Rogue's body shudder when he traced his hand over her hip, he was quick to forget it. It was the slightest of feelings, but that slight shuddering movement was enough to excite him, he quickly shook his head from side to side to get his head back to the task at hand. If the lives of his family hadn't been on the line, he would have been having the time of his life. Running a theft with Rogue, even if it was a simple pick pocket job, was so much fun; high stakes with this incredible girl was as exciting as breaking into a high-security museum to steal a priceless artifact. He hadn't felt this excited since he had been "commissioned" to break into The Acropolis Museum, in Athens, Greece to retrieve an ancient red-figure lekanis lid. He was barely 17, and had performed flawlessly; it had been his first international job after he left New Orleans and he had been paid more money than he knew what to do with. This moment with Rogue was better.

"Y-Yeah... Ah, Ah see him." Rogue was struggling as well, but was able to look through the crowd well enough to locate their target.

Noly Elmsworth was quite the obnoxious sight. A ladies man in his own right, women loved him and it wasn't difficult to see why. He was a good looking man shaved bald, a firm body and very muscular, his skin was the color of flawless mahogany. He was originally from the Caribbean and dressed as such, with his light white cotton shirt left open because of the warm climate and cleanly shaven for the exception of the well trimmed goatee, certainly the result of an expensive professional shave. He was a very tall man, nearly six foot five and normally draped with young women. And though, he himself was probably about 40, women half his age flocked to him. It was something Remy remembered about Noly, even when he was living on the streets, and had hated him even then. Remy never had problems with women or finding company, but Noly was shameless, which was saying a lot because Remy wasn't exactly a prince charming, but Noly treated women like garbage. It would have been impressive if it didn't come off as sleazy, and just as Remy had left him, he was surrounded by beautiful naive twenty-year-olds; all of them pining for his attention and free drinks.

"Good, we got ta get his people away from him, an' if we can't get him alone, we gotta get him alone enough ta reach inta his pocket." Remy knew full-well that Logan was burning a hole in the back of his head, that was a delightful bonus, but he couldn't bring himself to pay any attention to him. Logan could plainly see he was having the time of his life, and that made him grind his teeth in anger. This was not a vacation for him, least of all Gambit! He found it despicable that the guy knew his father's life was in danger but he could still put it all aside to grope his teammate. Gambit had the most to lose here, but you would never know it with how he smiled and spoke. That would be his second mistake of the night.

"Scott, that's our guy." Rogue said. It wasn't just thieves and con artists that looked forward to spring break to squeeze money out of the young rich crowds flocking into the city, it was also Noly. He was nearly lust drunk as he indulged in the attention from the disposable girls that surrounded him. He wouldn't bother himself to know any of them by tomorrow. Noly had armed himself with four large bodyguards, three of them were taller then he was; they stood like pillars surrounding Noly and his temporary harem.

"Not exactly what I expected." Scott had clearly expected some sort of large greasy untrustworthy looking type and not that he would necessarily trust him. He was going to have to approach this differently, he was surrounded by four large men, their only task was to keep eyes on Noly. Scott was concerned with so much attention on their target, and if it wasn't the body guards they had to worry about, it was the group of women whom were all talking at him and urging him to dance. The women fell all over him as they smiled and threw back drinks. Also concerning was the four large men he had surrounding him were armed, and the club was packed. This was a new one for Scott he had never been in a situation where he had to track down a single target in order to steal from them without an entire club full of people noticing. He was out of his element, but it didn't stop him from making a plan. "Getting behind body guards shouldn't be hard. We should start there, Logan. Logan?" Scott asked again not realizing the anger build in his face.

"I heard ya." Logan could feel the bile in his throat as he watched Gambit drape himself over Rogue. He may have begun to understand exactly why he was doing what he was doing but Logan knew that this was more for his own entertainment. He knew Gambit was repressing himself ever since he moved into the school, and being the selfish type he was, he was always looking out for his own needs. He wasn't too far from dragging him outside by the neck and servicing a need of his own.

"Ideas?" Rogue asked, she was so involved with the task in front of them and she was finding it to be nearly impossible to be not overwhelmed by her own wants, that she couldn't bring herself to be concerned with Logan either.

" Bobby and me will be runnin' background on the big guys. Easy 'nuff, place with this much going on no one would be the wiser." Logan said through gritted teeth, he was still resisting the urge to pop his claws. He wouldn't allow himself to think about how satisfying it would be to take his razor sharp adamantium claws and sink them into Gambit's back, just enough to reopen his gunshot wounds; he liked the guy a whole lot better when he was in a coma.

" Sounds good. Where is Bobby?" Scott asked looking around. Bobby had become distracted yet again and was clearly accepting drinks off of the bar as he was encouraged by a group of guys that thought it was hysterically funny that an under age kid got into the bar. They were laughing as they allowed him to take their drinks, and they continued to laugh as Logan took the drink out of his hand and slammed it on the bar. He quickly grabbed Bobby and pulled him away from the group before he could show anyone his "froze daiquiri" trick.

"Bobby what are you doing! Yer on a job!" Logan angrily demanded. He knew that bringing Bobby was a mistake, but it was too late Bobby had taken more shots than a bull's eye and was hopelessly drunk. Logan assessed his team, and as he eyed Rogue once again he couldn't help but think that bringing Rogue was a mistake too.

"Were you sipping a martini?" Scott asked in mixture of disappointment and disbelief, to which Bobby clumsily turned his head toward Scott and smiled.

"You don't sip a martini! You chug it like it's gonna leave you!" Bobby slurred, the group of students that had been giving him drinks cheered on the little alcoholic. They all wondered why the kid brought his dad to spring break. _  
_

"Here!" Logan passed over Bobby to Scott. "I can deal with the watch dogs on my own, you babysit!" Logan then practically stomped away in a low growl. He couldn't watch Gambit and Rogue anymore, he knew there was nothing he could really do; as far as Logan could see Gambit had just found a new way to use her. Gambit would have to deal with the consequences of that after they got out of this. Scott wouldn't dare protest being handed Bobby, no matter how annoyed he was with one of their youngest members.

" Oops." Bobby burped.

"Great." Scott thought, frustrated. He looked to Rogue and Gambit, whom barely seemed to notice the comedy going on behind them. Only now was Scott noticing what Logan had: Gambit didn't look like a man all too concerned about his life-threatening situation, instead he had hung himself, quite intimately, all over his friend. "Logan is handling the body guards." Scott informed them both, as he allowed Bobby to lean against him. Scott was eyeing them disapprovingly, he had come to the same conclusion that Logan had. He had caught that Gambit was trying to hide his face with Rogue, but he found it infuriating that he had found a new way to use Rogue, even if it was for a good reason. He was finding himself agreeing with Kurt more and more. He always seemed to find a way to use her and either she realized it and allowed it to happen or she did not realize it because Gambit wanted it that way. Scott was firmly establishing a vendetta against their newest member. When Gambit had first come to the school, Kurt had made it no secret what he had thought of him being there. The night he had rolled into the garage with Rogue, Kurt had attacked him, he was convinced that Gambit would never change, he was manipulative and a selfish opportunist. Which wasn't an unfair assessment, being manipulative was apart of his abilities as a mutant, not even he would deny that, but when he involved Rogue, that's when Scott drew the line. And after everything Scott had seen of Gambit today left him thinking about talking with Logan and the Professor to reassess Gambit's enrollment at the school.

"Dat solves one problem, now we gotta figure a way ta get close 'nough ta make de grab." Gambit said, as he just began to notice his tipsy young teammate smiling thoughtfully up at him. In a way Remy was proud of him.

"Where else?" Rogue pointed out as she motioned to Noly and one of his scantily clad female companions finally convinced him to get on the dance floor. It seemed that the only time the guards did not follow him was when he was on the dance floor. Noly would pay his body guards to monitor him while he was using the bathroom, that was a given, but it goes to show no matter how secure someone would like to be they don't want to be interrupted when they're trying to get laid.

"Hmm, care ta dance, Cher?" Remy said eyeing Noly, he immediately saw the opportunity.

"N' accomplish what?" Rogue said, relatively skeptical. And though she wasn't opposed to the idea, she did kind of want to know what they would be accomplishing other than just having a good time.

"You could grab it offa' him. Jus' let me lead." Remy suggested as he made sure that his hair fell around his face, he also kept his head down and was dangerously cheek to cheek with Rogue. He felt as though it was worth it, not only because he enjoyed getting as close as he could to Rogue but he couldn't risk being recognized before they could pull the plans off of Noly and his eyes were a dead giveaway.

"How ya figure?" Rogue said, trying to keep up a flirty smile, as she tried not to let Remy's closeness concern her. The last thing they needed was Remy passing out in the middle of not being noticed.

"Little touch help you move like me, we switch partners, get in ta his pocket get what we need, then we switch back. Get outta here in time fo'dinner." Gambit made it sound as though it could be wrapped up so easily and hypothetically it could. It was also an added bonus that he got the chance to reveled in the idea of touching Rogue's skin again. Remy wasn't sure what she would acquire this time in addition to his ability, but this was their only shot to grab the plans.

" Why don't you just dance with the guy, Rogue? Just get the information we need straight from the source." Scott was quick to suggest. Gambit immediately shot him a look. Scott asked even more skeptical than Rogue was, it made enough sense to possibly work, however he knew that something was going on between the two. Scott struggled to maintain what Jean had originally told him about looking after his teammates and not just treat them like soldiers. It had been the main focal point in their recent arguments. Rogue touching Gambit meant some sort of consequences that he didn't quite understand and Scott felt that Gambit had different motivations than just getting the plans off of Noly.

"You don' know de man like Ah do. Noly been de cause o'a whole lotta ugly n' you don' want dat in yo'head, Cher." The idea of Rogue taking the plans off of Noly was a business matter; Remy gave that no mind, but the idea of an _intentional_ skin to skin touch between Rogue and a guy like Noly Elmsworth upset him for reasons he didn't quite understand. It wasn't only selfish reasons that he didn't want Rogue touching a man like Noly, ever since the _incident in Genosha_ the changes in Rogue were obvious to Gambit. Since their first encounter in New Orleans, he decided he would never be done looking after her, and he did not want a man like Noly in Rogue's head.

"Might not be a good idea, Scott. If this guy goes down on the dance floor, Ah might not get out without a fight. He's got people everywhere." Rogue reasoned. For tactical reasons, that made the most sense to her, and she believed Gambit knew what he was talking about; Noly was definitely was not the type of person she wanted in her head. And to a lesser extent, she couldn't say that she wasn't excited to dance with Remy. The band began set up for the next song, the crowd eagerly waited on the dance floor for the music to begin.

"You think you're up for that, Rogue? We can find a _better_ way to get what we need without you doing that." Scott asked firmly, he noticed Gambit giving him a look but he didn't care to acknowledge it. Scott was openly challenging Gambit; by showing over-concern for Rogue and by asking her if she was sure she wanted to touch him was his way of telling her not to. This was all quite obvious to Gambit, and this silent power struggle between the two of them had just started, but he was already tired of it. Gambit wasn't someone Scott would ever associate himself with and after what he had seen of Gambit in the last 12 hours, he wasn't surprised and could do without him. Scott cared for Rogue as well, she was his friend and they had saved each other's lives dozens of times before she had ever met Gambit. Scott thought about it and came to the judgemental conclusion that he may not have been in-lust with Rogue the way Gambit was, but he was trying to look out for her actual well being.

" Its okay, let's get this over with." Rogue said, she had thought for a moment and ultimately agreed. This was awkward, seeing as Remy had intentionally avoided her for weeks and she was not prepared to be so close to him so soon, even though her body was telling her otherwise. She knew that Remy fully understood the risks, he always did, and though the intimacy of an intentional touch to Rogue was as personal as a deep kiss and given her and Remy's relationship, it would have been the equivalent to something quite serious. Despite the risks, she couldn't help but feel this gave them a very good chance of walking away from this without incident and was willing to give it a chance. "Make this real quick, can't risk knockin' ya out." Rogue turned around to look at Remy and attempted to steady her shaking hands.

"You take de lead on dat, Cher." Remy said sweetly, she knew her power better than he did, so he allowed her to approach him. Gambit rose an eye brow at Scott over Rogue's shoulder, a cocky defiant grin on his face, Scott completely understood this we a slam at him. He was openly throwing it in Scott's face that he was getting what he wanted. Scott pressed his lips together in uptight anger as he watched his friend stand on her tiptoes and gently caressed his cheek with hers. She knew that the stubble on his face would lessen the skin contact between them, allowing just enough contact for what was required. As before Remy couldn't help but indulge in the incredibility soft touch of her skin, it was as though he were being brushed up against by silk, the touch immediately washed away his anxiety and fear. He could feel his addictive personality taking control, if he wasn't careful he would surely become obsessive. Remy slightly groaned, he felt like he had just stuck his finger in a light socket and everything when black. It was very similar to someone flicking off the lights in a pitch black room and quickly turning them back on again. Remy opened his eyes to Rogue holding him up, he had blacked out on his feet but it was so brief no one seemed to notice. Mercifully, the touch wasn't long enough to attain his eye color; Remy hated that.

" Vomment ca vas?" Rogue asked. Remy's vision was blurred, the room spun a bit; he placed his full weight on Rogue's shoulders. They looked as though they were hugging, and anyone that noticed them would think that perhaps he may have been a little drunk, but luckily several couples were doing the same thing, including Scott and Bobby.

" Yeah...Ah'm fine... All-Always...always worth it, Cher." Remy replied smiling, and he forced himself back into a sharp state of mind. Rogue had now attained Remy's ability to move, just like the first time they kissed, really kissed, Rogue now felt more in control of her movements. Precision and accuracy were simple for her, and just as before, she was understanding more French, as the locals around her spoke she was picking up on more of what was being said. The contact was short, but not enough to escape a nagging craving suddenly tugged at her stomach.

" Are you cravin' frog-legs n' pralines?" Rogue asked, a little grin pulled at the corners of her mouth.

" Picked dat up, eh?" Remy grinned, as he steadied himself against her.

" How can you think about food at a time like dis-this." Rogue attempted to maintain her own accent and ignore the vague soft images of passion that she had pulled from Remy's mind; she wouldn't say anything about that, even though the images did involved her. she felt it was unfair for her to judge him on what he was thinking in his own mind, even if it was something they were mutually thinking about. And now was the worst possible time to become distracted.

" That all you got? Ain't jus' food Ah'm thinkin' 'bout." Remy smiled, he was coming to find that he did have some control over what Rogue absorbed and he made sure to leave her with some sort parting gift; even if it was an ill-timed arousing one.

" You did that on purpose didn't you?! Were working, an' Ah ain't got a problem droppin' you, Neg." Rogue kept her fake smile firmly on her face, despite her raising anger and embarrassment. She was serious, part of her would have willing dropped him and his stupid grin to the floor if she had the option to. She was surprised when she saw Remy's smile drop, and just as quickly it picked back up. It was doubtful Rogue even realized what she called him.

"Kill me later. Ready?" Remy was always disturbed when Rogue called him 'Neg'. Belle did that, she was the only one that called him that. Rogue picking up on that always unnerved and astonished him.

" You tell me, you's de one dat's-that's distracted." Rogue said as bitterly as her hypocritical-self would allow her to. The smiling, the jokes and the flirtation were a defense mechanism that was rooted in feelings he wasn't ready to deal with. He would deny that it would have anything to do with anything deeper; he would gladly chalk it up to having to do with being sexual repression.

" Can you blame me? Je suis votre date ce soir." Remy smiled. He was thankful that he was recovering relatively quick, as soon as the band was ready to play, he needed to be ready to work.

" Cute, but dis ain't a real date, Cher-Remy." Rogue was already tired of Remy's vocabulary in her mouth. "So what do ya got in mind here?"

" We switch partners once we hit de bridge, come back ta me once it ends." Remy said as he worked to fight off the last bit of light-headedness, it was as though someone immediately zapped the energy from him, his knees buckled a bit and thankfully Rogue was there to steady him. He shook his head trying to stave off the last bit of stubborn dizziness. After a moment he was himself again, he then stood in front of her and smiled at her reassuring her he was fine. Her grin was playing-flirtatious, but her eyes were concerned.

"What if Ah can't get away?" Rogue allowed Remy's hand to slide across her waist once again, and with the other he placed his gloved hand on her face and gently tipped her chin up to look at him.

"No worries, Cher. Ya t'ink a man like Noly can keep you from me? Ah get you back. Always." Remy's sultry voice reassured her. The blush in her cheeks made Scott roll his eyes, he couldn't believe she was buying into this. He was sure Gambit would exercise his ability to work the ambiguity of the situation, and say he was just "working his cover", but Scott could clearly see that this meant far more to Rogue. It made Scott dislike Gambit all the more. It wasn't terribly unusual to see a friend making a bad decision that they couldn't see for themselves, but Scott would not stand by and let it happen.

" Huh, anythin' else Ah should do?" Rogue asked attempting to sound sarcastic and non-nonchalant, she was alone partially successful. She couldn't deny her rapid heart beat when he smiled at her that way, she convinced herself that it was just a role he was playing, and she hated herself for being so weak.

"Yeah, ya gotta feel me up." Remy said seriously. Scott's eye's immediately narrowed, if his vision wasn't usually tinted red, in would most definitely be now.

"Beg pardon?" Rogue asked she could feel her feel her face drop.

"What?" Scott demanded, in a low shocked tone. He almost didn't believe what he just heard. If he wasn't so sure that Bobby would drop to the ground if he let him go, there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to resist jacking Gambit in the face for suggesting such a thing.

"Ooo hoo.." Bobby commented like a drunken monkey.

"N' make it obvious." Remy added. He was becoming increasingly agitated by these 'big brothers' hovering over Rogue, but that was something to address later. There was a important reason why he would make such an indecent proposal.

"Why the hell would Ah?!" Rogue asked, her flirtatious smile began to weaver, she would have never expected him to make such a request.

"Yeah, why would she?!" Scott angrily demanded, as he spoke over Gambit's shoulder. Scott knew he had to keep up the appearance of a good time, but Gambit's cocky grin and smug brow pushed a rage educing button. It was the same button that Gambit had pushed within Logan and Kurt as well.

"Yeah! Why?" Bobby said, parroting Scott, not at all understanding what was going on, or what he was saying. Again he went completely ignored. Gambit resisted the urge to throw his elbow back and right into Scott's mouth, he was tense enough without Scott's protests. Instead, he looked over his shoulder at Scott and in a sarcastic overly-friendly tone he explained.

" Why you t'ink? Noly won't t'ink it's so strange when she's gotta do it ta him ta fin' what we lookin' fo'." This was not the time to be questioning him, and Scott's implication of him just trying to take advantage of Rogue would earn him that elbow to the mouth once they got home.

"I don't like what you're doing, Gambit-" Scott firmly warned him, and Gambit just as firmly responded.

"Will you get off mah'ass-" Gambit very nearly broke character, thankfully Rogue intervened before it could go much further.

"Are you two really starting a fight? Here? Right now? ~*~ Relax Remy please, for me?~*~ Its fine Scott, Ah'm okay wit' it." Rogue sweetly smiled as she put both her teammate in their place. Scott's jaw dropped that she would agree to such a thing, he immediately blamed Gambit.

"What? Rogue!" Scott protested. To Scott, Rogue seemed to be starting a steady decline. In his eyes, Gambit was a horrible influence and he had begun dragging her down. Judgmentally, Scott could see this was becoming a serious issue.

"Fight about it later if, y'all have ta, but not now!" Rogue demanded as she pretended to laugh. Rogue then gave Remy a slightly tighter embrace to keep him in check. She was able to control the situation well, Scott grimly stepped away.

"Whatever you say, Cher." Remy said, the feeling of Rogue pressing up against him made him putty in her hands. She could have asked him for anything at that point and he would have willingly given her anything. Scott felt him saying that was to give Rogue a false sense of power. It was condescending; Scott made up his mind that everything Gambit would say from this point on would be in serious doubt.

"Okay." Rogue said with fake confidence, "How do Ah do dis? This. How do Ah do _this_?" Rogue was sure Remy could feel her hands tremble like a dry leaf in the wind. This was a sadly foreign concept for her, just like before when he had ambushed her while she went swimming in the creek back at the school. She didn't exactly know where to begin, however Remy was a very willing teacher.

" You alright, Cher. You tell me ta relax, non? You relax, n' jus' do what Ah do." Remy's warm smile eased her a bit, but she still felt like her heart would beat out of her chest. Cautious, almost frightened, Rogue placed her hands on his sides and she froze, completely clueless as to what to do next. "You gonna have ta do better den dat. Get in m'shirt, grab m'ass whatever ya gotta do ta sell it." Remy laughed, his reaction was genuine and he was completely charmed by her ignorance. Again, having Rogue in the middle of New Orleans, among the music, drinks, laughter, and celebration combated the fear he thought would have been impossible to function through, but like some sort of magic Rogue made him happy.

"Fine! This is kinda a first time fer me, ya know?" Rogue said, suddenly very embarrassed. She very badly wanted to walk away, but she knew that was impossible. She looked up at Remy for some sort of help.

"Don' get angry! We havin' fun, 'member?" Remy reminded her, and again he placed a reassuring gloved hand on her face and smiled at her until her embarrassed rose blush was gone and she was relaxed. She didn't care that this was possibly a part of his ability to manipulate, it worked, and before another moment could passed she began to laugh.

"Okay, Okay!" She smiled, and watched his eyes warm as he look into hers. It was a nearly hypnotic experience, his glowing garnet eyes set in almond-shaped pools of pitch made Rogue's heart pound; she would never guess that Remy was just as fixated. Her lips alone made his mouth water, his self-restraint was waning as Rogue pressed herself against him, one of her hands massaged his right hip slowly, with the other she propped her wrist against his left shoulder giving him a generous and welcome view of her supple cleavage. She spoke closely to his lips, close enough to kiss but never quite, similar to how a singer would just nearly place her lips to a microphone as she sang some soft sweet ballad.

"Hmm…" Remy swooned, as he enthusiastically stroked the curve of her waist.

"What?" She smiled coyly, she was slowly became less afraid and began enjoying herself more. She also was getting the feeling that this was feeling less like a fictitious date and more like a real one.

"Yo' a quick learner." He said, her instincts were good, excellent in fact. She spoke so closely to his lips that he very nearly leaned in several times; once he came so close that she had to playfully back away.

"Havin' fun, right?" Rogue said as she slid her hands over his chest, causing him to take a deep breath in satisfaction. It was almost concerning how sensitive his skin became to her touch.

"There you go!" He said in joyful approval, he almost forgot what he was doing and quite nearly lost sight of Noly. All at once the band filled the room with the sweet jazzy introduction of an accordion and slide guitar, before a thumping rock beat seized command of swaying hips everywhere. Remy smiled in delight as he took to the dance floor with his partner and he began a movement, a rhythm, that came to him as natural as though he were walking. The Zydeco he had learned from the time he had learned to stand took over his body. Locals and old timers that sat at the bar to drink and watch the young people dance began to notice. Together they nearly cheered as they remembered the days when they would move as the young man did. They watched this, most certainly, a native son of New Orleans dancing in a way that perfectly reflected their culture's joy and rhythm. They proudly call to him on the dance floor in satisfaction.

"Coo-wee! Dat's hot! " A man called out, his elderly wife smiled in agreement. All the more enticing was his young companion whom was fluidly following his lead and at times was not displaying the same traditional movement as they young native man, but a slightly more up-to-date sway and sensual grind that was drawing attention for much different reasons. The music itself was a marriage of traditional Zydeco dancing and thundering, rhythmic rock, and just as the couple dancing was a union of the old and new ways, they joined together in a fantastic and undeniably sexual dancing foreplay. A foreplay that would not go unnoticed by a certain father-like chaperone.

"What are they doing!" Logan demanded. He was angry all over again, initially he was offended by the entitled way Gambit would run his hands over a girl he considered family. Thankfully there were men to take it out on, but now he hadn't turned his back for more than a few moments before the same entitled punk was now taking far more liberties than Logan ever though he had the balls-or brains to ever do. The worst part was that there was no one to take his anger out on this time.

"Gettin' dirty!" Bobby sloppily blurted, still off his ass. He was being ignored indefinitely, as Scott explained.

"They're um, working?" Scott for a moment thought that he should take responsibility, but seeing as Logan looked too angry too blink, he would keep his mouth shut and only speak when spoken to. Scott had looked up to the area where are the four bodyguards had been standing, they were no longer there and no one seemed to notice.

"On what?!" Logan asked in a low deep growl, his clenched fists shook as he, some how, kept his claws retracted, however the redder his neck got the more apparent the very tips of his pointed metal claws began to peak from under the skin, between his knuckles.

"Getting the information we need. Don't read too far into it they know what they're doing." Scott assured Logan, as he strategically placed Bobby between himself and Logan for his own safety.

"Him more n'her..." Logan furiously growled within his throat. The gritty, blues vocals pushed the crowd to release all animalistic desire, to sell their souls for passion, to move and fight. The crowd unanimously agreed to do as the music demanded, and sensually press against reach other as they danced. The Zydeco blood that ran through the bones and blood of every person joyfully fueled every movement of both southern born or visiting tourist. Remy and Rogue nearly lost themselves in the passion they had for the movement and the sexual tension between them, thank goodness for the sobering bridge of the song, the thumping beat stopped and only the sweet sound of the singer remained, this is what Remy had been waiting for.

"Ready?" Rogue asked breathlessly in his ear. Remy's eyes nearly rolled back in his head in pure arousal. Breaking away from this feeling was excruciating, it was similar to being interrupted mid-climax, it almost made him angry.

"Gotta be. His front pocket, be quick Cher. Now!" Remy whispered back, and in one very swift movement Remy twisted Rogue into Noly and he took the hand of Noly's girl. It was painful to release Rogue to Noly but they had a job to do. Rogue gracefully spun directly in front of Noly and placed both hands on his chest, she demanded his attention, and she was far too beautiful for him to reject her. The fact that she was younger helped too. In the same movement Remy had stolen away Noly's dance partner, he had pulled her far enough away from Noly so that she could not simply reach back for him. She was a artificial looking girl with too much makeup and expensive jewelry. Not terribly unattractive but far too common and superficial for Remy's liking. The girl may have protested at some point, but Gambit would have never noticed, he was far too busy making sure he transition had gone well. He was also keeping a close eye on Rogue's body language making sure that there was no issue. To say Remy was uncomfortable with Rogue around Noly was an understatement, and the smile Noly had on his face once he noticed Rogue lit a small hot fire in his throat.

"Well hello! You a little lost, girl?" Noly asked, a nearly serpent-like smile on his face, his long arms and large hands immediately began to become acquainted with Rogue's body. If she hadn't been doing his for Remy and his father's life she would have put her fist through his chest. Instead, she forced a flirtatious smile and continued to dance.

"What the hell is he thinking out there!?" Logan was seething with rage, he had watched this little play from afar and he hated everything about this, this was not the way they operated. They were far more tactical, this felt all wrong, this was not at all the way an X-man would handle a job. Gambit had willingly put Rogue in the hands of a predator, he would pay dearly for that. Gambit had his own style for acquiring things that he wanted, and it was clashing with the X-men's methods and it was sleazy and disrespectful. Logan watched and disgust as Noly had his hands all over Rogue, and just as upsetting, she had to act like she liked it. This was the third mistake Gambit would make tonight.

" Not at all! Saw ya move n' Ah need ta dance wit' you fer a minute." She smiled as she kept in time with the music, thankfully he saw nothing wrong with Rogue placing her hands all over his chest and sides. His ego reasoned that no woman could resist him. Girls were a disposable form of entertainment to Noly, a form of amusement that he was hopelessly addicted to, and he loved it when they fought over him. And the more aggressively females would fight over him, all the more excited it made him.

"Ah know Ah don' mind, but you sure yo'man okay wit' dat?" Noly asked, his ice blue eyes looked her over as a predator looked over a smaller vulnerable prey. As strong as his obsession was with girls and sex, he wasn't a fan of the drama that he would occasionally experience from a jealous boyfriend or husband. Rogue was a worthwhile risk, Noly was hopelessly intrigued by strong, up front women, his previous dancing partner had practically stepped on four other girls to be his sole dance partner, and he loved it; he hoped that a fight would break out in his honor. Who ever was this girl's date had to be an idiot; Noly arrogantly felt that any woman that experienced a night with him wouldn't want any other man. Rogue found his ego repulsive.

"We ain't exactly serious, n' from the sounds o' it you ain't either." Rogue said in a sassy tone as she traced her hands over Noly's long defined abdomen and over the front of his shirt. She could, quite clearly, feel the corners of a folded piece of paper in his front pocket, right where Remy said it would be. A big problem with this was that the more Rogue felt him, the more he touched her; his touch made her skin crawl.

"We serious 'bout havin' a good ol' time…hol' on yo' man lookin' a lil' familiar." Noly's smile dropped slightly in distraction. Rogue thought quickly and grabbed Noly's hips firmly, forcing his attention on her. She had a hunch he would like that, and she was right. The lust in his eyes was disturbing and the bridge of the song was almost over, and she wanted to get away from this guy as soon as possible.

"Ain't you s'pose ta be paying attention ta me?" Rogue asked a devilishly sexual smile playing at her lips. Noly loved this, and would gladly give this mystery girl everything she was asking for.

"Mmm...Ah'd be a fool ta argue wit' dat!" Noly smiled an awful smile, that continued to make her skin crawl. Rogue began to sweat out of nervousness, she fought to crush the beginnings of a panic attack. The look in Noly's eyes, was the same look Johnny had given her back on Genosha; but he wasn't psychotic like Johnny. Noly was all egotistically driven, but they both had shared the same look of aggressively possessing her. The two men even shared the same eye color. Remy was her sole motivation to keep strong, and keep a straight face, so she sucessfuly continued to act like she enjoyed this encounter, it was incredibly difficult to say the least. Before she could start feeling physically sick she needed to convincing grope him just long enough for her to steal what she needed from him. Behind them, Remy and his new partner were getting acquainted.

"Ain't you s'pose ta ask if ya can cut it?" The young woman asked, irritated. She would have made a much bigger fuss, but this man was far better looking than Noly; a better dancer too. If he had money, there would be no reason to fight for Noly.

"Me an' mah girl thought it'd be fun ta switch partners fo' a dance." Remy said with his trademark grin, he had her pegged before she opened her mouth. Arrogant and spoiled, simple to sweet talk and even easier to manipulate. She would naturally gravitate to a prettier face, no loyalty to anything but her own needs.

"How 'bout for the night?" The girl was a bit surprised by her own willingness to quickly to suggest a one night stand, Her spoiled nature made her the type to get what she wanted from men, she would demand things and simply move on if she didn't get what she wanted, but her newest dance partner was different, for some reason she had the overwhelming urge to please him.

"Hmmm, you sure he'd be okay wit dat?" Remy asked, clearly distracted. He eyed Rogue's uncomfortable body language and this disturbed him greatly. He could not keep focus on his dancing partner, thankfully she was the type of girl that the more you ignored, the more she tried to gain his attention.

"Ain't no one married…right?" For some reason she was hanging on to his every word, she was hopelessly intrigued by this man that had dance-kidnapped her and his non-interest in her was almost irresistible. She took no time at all to consider giving up on chasing Noly, after all Remy was far more interesting and she wanted to make the most of her spring break.

"Wrong." Remy replied flatly. The bridge of the song was almost over and he hope it was enough time for Rogue to get the plans. His dance partner was becoming fed up with not getting the attention she desired from him, much longer and she would slap him across the face.

" Oh? Well Ah hate ta call a perfect stranger a liar, but she don't dance like no married woman." The girl said in a sassy tone.

"Yeah well, Ah do appreciate de-de…" Gambit's attention was suddenly torn from his new dance partner in mid sentence, over to Rogue. Her swift hands moving over Noly's chest and sides began fanning that small hot flame in his throat into a full body anger, she was just a little better at fondling and flirting than Remy had originally thought. The way she smiled laughed and moved was a bit too much for him to bear, Noly's hungry eyes looking over her set Remy's blood to a boil. "Ah t'ink dis dance lasted long 'nough. " Remy said rudely, be barely waited for the closing of the song's bridge before Remy reached to retrieve his dance partner. The song gave way to the thumping dance beat once again, and Noly's shocked protest was overwhelmed by the loud music and his original partner slamming against him.

"What? Hey!" The girl's appalled outcry was muffled as well, as explosive thundering rock/Zydeco kicked back up and the gritty, nearly screaming blues vocals commanded the crowd once again. In a quick, rough movement Remy had sent her back to Noly and not-so-smoothly took Rogue's outstretched hand, twisting her into him. Rogue was, very nearly, unable to brace herself as she landed with both palms flat against Remy's chest; if she hadn't felt his hand grip hers, she would not have not had any warning and would not have been able to stop short enough; she could have possibly slammed him with such force that it would have sent him to the other side of the room.

" Now that wasn't the most graceful transitions, Remy." Rogue commented. That was not just her opinion, it appeared that the girl that Remy had been dancing with almost clumsily landed back into Noly. Noly looked considerably disappointed, he was far more interested at getting to know the mysterious young girl with the white steaks in her hair.

" Now wha' goin' on here?" Noly asked in rude arrogance, he was insulted that he would be forced to take, what he perceived was, the lesser girl. Noly gave the girl's date the evil eye, but the long-haired man kept his back to Noly. He didn't know exactly what her date looked like, but it didn't matter because no man had ever stood in the way of a girl he wanted. At first Noly thought that her date was a coward because he wouldn't look him in the eye, but it was becoming obvious that he was challenging Noly by reclaiming his date. He felt as though he was showing off his beautiful date to assert his dominance, and taking her back to show him he couldn't have her. Even though this was a very self-absorbed and narcissistic way for looking at it, Noly wasn't necessarily wrong. Remy never considered himself the jealous-type but that was exactly what this was.

Noly was a male chauvinistic misogynist, he used women like objects, they were play things and he perceived Rogue being taken away from him as a strong assault on his ego. He refused to take his eyes off of Rogue or her rude partner, even though all he could see was the back of her partner's head. He could have sworn he recognized him and attempted to look at his face, but every time he tried her partner would turn or move quickly so that all he could see was, at the very most, the side of his face and nothing more. His long hair and his ability to conceal his face against Rogue hid any possible chance of identifying him. In one unbelievably fast movement he had stolen away Rogue and returned Noly's original dance partner, it was not as graceful as the initial switch but Noly couldn't shake the fact that it felt familiar.

" Is there any reason you ain't blinkin'?" Rogue said against Remy's ear. She couldn't help but notice he seemed upset.

"You get it o'not, girl?" Remy said shortly.

"Yeah, it's in mah glove. What's buggin' you?" Rogue asked, she thought he should be happy, everything had worked so far without any problems. She couldn't understand his mood swing. Logan had seen every thing, he could tell right away that Gambit was moving out of anger, out of jealousy. It was clear to him that the look on Gambit's face was that his territory was being trespassed on. Logan was immediately enraged, Rogue was not a piece of property and she was not a trophy; how dare he treat her as such. Logan continued to keep count, this was the forth mistake Gambit would make with Rogue tonight.

" Nuthin'. Jus' 'bout time we wrap dis up." Remy enjoyed the feeling of not allowing a man like Noly to get what he wanted. Again the music picked up, the finale of the song would be a non-stop accordion solo flawlessly belting out a sound that caused everyone on the dance floor to dance in a frenzy, this was the final moment, the climax of the song and Remy's body responded to the fervent beat, his hands taking far more liberties than he once was. He was moving faster and was more aggressively putting Rogue in a position where she couldn't necessarily protest.

"Remy-" The look in Remy's eyes had shut her up, the look was intense, his fixation looked hungry. She didn't understand that he was a man that was being fueled by jealousy. She responded by matching his intensity, it almost scared her how unbridled her instincts were to grind against him; a bit jarring, but irresistibly enticing. Together they moved and pulled against each other to the sexually intense vocals ringing in the club. Logan noticed this as well, and it infuriated him that Rogue had little to no choice to continue on with this if they were to maintain cover. She had to participate in the wild grind, and lament to all of Gambit's touching. He also recognized that Gambit was openly shoving this display into Noly's face.

"Now, who de hell he think he is?!" Noly thought, as he refused to stop staring at Rogue, he was so enticed by Rogue and he stopped trying to dance with his date. Remy could tell that Noly wanted her and in a stupid decision he decided to asserted his dominance, though he was smart enough to keep his eyes down and mostly had his back to Noly, he sent the message that this girl was his. Remy obviously ran his hands over Rogue and in the way he moved he showed Noly he had no right to her. This was clearly a textbook macho thing, but this was not the moment to have it and it was not the thing to do and while Logan was watching. Noly walked off the dance floor, entirely abandoning his dance partner. He angrily walked back to the VIP section to find his body guards. He was fully prepared to sic his guys on Gambit in the alley for such a scathing insult, but his men were nowhere to be found. Logan's blood boiled as he watched this display. He saw somebody he dearly cared for being used as a trophy, the two men were clearly fighting over her; Rogue meant no more to these men than the next girl. That was Gambit's fifth mistake, and that was five mistakes too many.

"Logan?" Scott asked, but he didn't respond as the couple, out of breath and smiling walked off the dance floor. To add insult to injury, Remy proudly displayed a smug smile, the look of a man who had won. He arrogantly flaunted his accomplishment, and just how he had always done and was continuing to do now, he saw nothing wrong with his actions.

"We got it, now what?" Rogue didn't necessarily understand the war going on between the two men. She did notice Remy becoming a bit more bold with his touching, she just felt it was the most exciting part of the song and her body responded to it the grinding and mutually wild sway; it was all part of the act she reasoned. Getting caught up in the music like that could have happened to anyone.

"Uh, church probably." Scott muttered. If it had been his daughter he would have given Gambit a serious talking-to and by 'talking-to' he would say it more with his eyes than his voice.

"What?" Rogue asked confused.

"Never mind, let's get out of here." Scott said, taking Rogue by the wrist and has hastily dragging out Bobby, whom was trying to applaud his teammates.

"Mission accomplished, where-" Gambit's question was promptly silenced by Logan landing a healthy punch to his abdomen. He dropped immediately, and completely understood his punishment.

"We clear?" Logan practically growled his furious question. Ever since her attack on Genosha Rogue had been different, and Gambit was more than willing to accommodate her growing erratic behavior. He knew that Gambit was a large portion of why Rogue had survived Genosha, that's why Logan had only punched him.

"Crystal." Gambit said between breaths, the wind had been knocked out of him. After his response Logan turned his back on him and headed for the door. Two older ladies that had been seated in front of their exchange were not beyond heckling the handsome young man.

"Now dat's 'bout de most foo' t'ing Ah ever seen. What kinda o'boy takes a girl dancin' wit' her Daddy?" One of them asked.

"None too smart honey." The other commented. Remy simply took in one long breath before standing up without saying a word and followed Logan outside.

* * *

 _Vomment ca vas?:_ How are you feeling?

 _Je suis votre date ce soir.:_ I am your date after all.

 _red-figure lekanis lid_ : Both lekanis (pl. lekanides) and lekane (pl. lekanai) refer to low bowls with two horizontal handles and a broad low foot. The handles are regularly ribbon-shaped, a form that suggests a prototype in another material. The application of the Greek terms lekane and lekanis is not entirely clear, and modern usage varies.


	7. Chapter 7: Ne m'oubliez pas

Chapter 7

 **Ne m'oubliez pas (Do not forget me)  
**

 _(Just outside of New Orleans city limits)_

" You sure you're okay? You looked really winded. " Rogue asked Remy. He had left the club looking pekid, for a moment she thought all of this stress was making him ill.

" Ah'm fine." Remy assured her. He was more than just a little embarrassed by what he had done in the club. He took his punishment to heart, and understood that Logan could have done far worse. That punch may have also helped bring him back to reality, and for that, he could not be upset. For a moment he did want to argue the same points he had used to justify himself; like how his actions were out of necessity or that Rogue knew what she was getting into, but that would have been stupid; that was something the old him would have surely done. He remembered a time not too long ago, when he thought he was always right, and it was everyone else that had the problem. Generally he still felt that way, normally he was would never admit to his mistakes, but this time he knew better than to argue. He had used Rogue unfairly and took liberties he shouldn't have, and for his recklessness, he would never apologize, but he rightfully accepted his punishment without a protest. Logan was glad, if not surprised, to see that he had accepted getting his punch to the gut without a word and had moved on from it; Gambit took to focusing on the rest of the night, which Logan was thankful for.

"You know where this place is?" Logan asked him. They followed Remy outside the exuberant streets of New Orleans and further out to where the lights became dimmer and the streets became quieter. Until they found themselves at a point where the water's of the Louisiana swamp-land met the banks. Gambit had followed suit, as the lights and happiness of the city faded so did his demeanor. Logan and Rogue had noticed it, if you looked at his eyes long enough you could see a hint of fear through the misery. His fear and nervousness would come in waves, reeking havoc on his heart. In between the waves of anxiety he would take on a docile and sadly thoughtful manner, at times it was though he was sleep walking. It concerned Rogue to the point of being afraid for him.

"Here." Remy said solemnly. He had brought them to a point where the roads stopped and paths were barely worn, it was a wilderness. Scott had thought for a moment that he was trying to lose them again, but quickly changed his mind because Gambit seemed to be moving slower. Ever since they had left the city limits Gambit seemed to take on a hesitant trudge, however the dread in his step was invisible to Scott.

" In there? How can you even see?" Scott was understandably skeptical, the pitch blackness of the water was so dark and still, that it looked like polished black onyx. He couldn't discern one tree from another, the moonlight played tricks and blurred the lines between shadow and reflection, it seemed impossible to decipher what was solid or just an ink-black shadow.

"Memory...n'dis." Remy said, as he held out the piece of paper that held the coordinates of the location. When Remy recognized where it was his heart sank, it was smack in the middle of the ancient tithing grounds and just south of he and Belle's secret swimming spot.

" Where'd you get that?" Rogue asked. By this point she was beyond concerned, it seemed as though every she spoke to him it was almost like he had forgotten about her. When he did noticed her, it was as if he hadn't realized she was there and would always gave her a small sad smile; it was though he was looking at her in a way that he was savoring every moment, because he would never see her again.

" M'brother." his eyes softened slightly when he spoke to her. His manner around her was almost remorseful, all in a matter of hours it was as if he had transitioned from a cocky and confident charmer with a wolfish walk to a lost soul, sick with guilt and walking with the same pace of a man sentenced to death. Remy gave no mind how he looked or acted as he looked over the plans that his brother had given, and that his cousin had died for.

" How did he get it?" Scott asked, he was slightly impressed by how Gambit had gotten all of this information in such a short amount of time. This aspect made much more sense to him. Scott was tactical and analytical. It was far easier to measure how quickly and efficiently a job got then any matter of motivation or psychology. He was not be emotional being that Gambit was and wanted to know where their information was coming from, he trusted no one, other than his team; for the exception of Gambit and drunk Bobby; sober Bobby was even questionable at times.

" Family...dat left dis mess ta de mutie." Remy muttered bitterly, as he fumbled through the brush along the bank, he appeared to be looking for something. He didn't mean to say that, thinking out loud was something he didn't usually do, but then again, he usually didn't have people asking him questions while he was trying to configure his next move.

"Who?" Scott asked again, not understanding his muttered response.

" Family." Remy simply stated, not wanting to take it any further. However, Logan had heard him, this offered a bit of insight into the man and what his role was in this "family" of his. Logan suspected he was the only member of his family with an active x-gene, and if he wasn't then he was the only one with an x-gene that was doing anything. Logan watched him pick up a stick and began poking along the bank.

" You plan on swimmin' there or something? " Bobby asked, some time had passed and Bobby had been given an order of fried crayfish and several glasses of water and was feeling more like himself again. He liked drinking very much and hoped to do it more in the future with a more fun-loving group. Bobby watched Gambit continued to tap along the bank.

"Here." Remy said. He had not been checking the riverbank for long until he tapped against something solid. It was a flat wooden raft with a very long oar. Henry had come through, he had left his brother a way to get across the watery terrine in the quietest way possible. A motor of a speed boat or air-boat would've been faster but you could hear one from a mile away. A raft would make no more sound than a gator slipping through the water. He was debating on how to explain to the others how he needed to do this alone. This was strictly a family matter, and if they persisted, the most that Gambit would allow them to do is back him up from afar; no one needed to see this part of him. He was at a loss for words but strangely Logan understood the situation better than he thought.

" Why do I get the feeling like you're tryin' ta push on ahead without us?" Logan asked, his tight-lipped demeanor told him that this was where they had to part ways. Normally nothing could get the guy to shut-up, this was clearly Gambit trying to detach and prepare himself for something devastating. Logan felt that he had a good idea of why this had to be. He knew that Gambit was probably pushing his luck bringing non-family this far. Their matters of business seemed incredibly secretive and for anyone to be involved that was outside of either family had to be punishable rule one. The odds were already stacked against the guy. Logan wanted to think that Gambit being left to fend for himself should be a well-deserved punishment for all the people he had abandoned and cheated, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to be that judgemental. For the exception of his brother, who couldn't help, it didn't seem like anyone related to him wanted to help him. Most impressively to Logan, he was willingly heading directly into a situation where there was a good chance he would lose his life. The humanitarian in Logan recognized that possibly for the first time in his life, he was actually trying to do the right thing by owning up against impossible odds; for that, Logan would not allow him to go completely alone. Perhaps they would not be directly behind him, but they would be there watching over him to some extent, someone had to.

" That's 'cause Ah ain't got a choice...Ah got laws ta abide by." Remy said in almost a pained whisper, the look on Logan's face seemed like he understood the mechanics of what was happening and gave him a knowing look. Logan was on board for walking along side the guy to and through New Orleans, he felt like they were close enough to keep an eye out for him until he got done doing what he needed to. And they were close enough to play back up if things started getting bad for him.

" Laws?" Scott asked surprised, if not a little arrogant, he had a very hard time believing that Gambit would obey any sort of law. The concept seemed almost ridiculous to him. He couldn't say he was unwilling to help Gambit and his father, but after what he had seen today of Gambit and his old lifestyle, Scott was more than willing to wash his hands of all of it. Scott watched Logan look Gambit in the eye for a brief moment and communicate something wordlessly.

" Okay, but don't expect us to not be far behind." Logan warned. The moment that Gambit had explained he was breaking off from the group Rogue thought he was being ridiculous, but when Logan okayed him to go she became upset.

" Wait. What do ya mean we won't be far behind? We'll be standin' next ta you! How are we not together in this, laws er' no?" Rogue asked. The whole point of them coming to New Orleans was to help him with this. They had caught up to him only now; there was no way that she would be shaken off.

" Can't be like dat, Cher." Remy said somberly. It felt as though everyone was allowing him to meet his death, something felt very wrong. The way he spoke made Rogue uneasy, she saw this all as dangerously unnecessary. She knew that the stakes were high, so why wouldn't he want their help or at least hers?

"Ah can fly you over-" She felt as though she were fighting on obviously losing battle. The feeling of hopelessness was so strong it almost felt as though she were a kid again and the adults were making her decisions for her. She had no power or say in this decision and it was almost enough to make her scream.

" Rogue, dat ain't de way dis works..." Remy opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped. The disappointment and confusion on her face was heartbreaking to him. There was literally no way he could explain the situation differently, this was bigger than both of them, there was simply nothing that she could do and nothing he could do to change it. Thankfully, Logan placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked back at him with frustration, not quite understanding the why they were all agreeing to such a bad idea.

" This is somethin' he's got ta do on his own, darlin'." Logan explained. Rogue watched almost helplessly as Gambit un-tethered the wooden raft from a thick root sticking out of the bank.

" Logan?" Rogue said with the slightest of beg and desperation in her voice. She looked to Scott to create some sort of plan that allowed them to go over as a team, but Scott knew nothing of these things or this lifestyle, and did not say anything. Bobby felt the tension, even though he didn't necessarily understand either, but he agreed with Rogue; he didn't necessarily get why they couldn't go over as a team, but the situation seemed so serious that he didn't say a word. She looked back at Logan, disappointed by his willingness to let him go without so much as a argument.

" He's got ta see 'em face-ta-face, n' he needs to look like he's alone when he does." Logan said to her as gently as he could. He had a first-hand knowledge of this type of old way, these people had created a world where these laws had been followed before the birth of the country, and their presence would make the situation all the more hostile. This form of secret government was so ingratiated that any disruption would cause a full-out war; just like Remy's father had done. His father's thirst for greed and power had devastated his son's life because he had violated these old ways; because John-Luc had lived up to his reputation as a criminal, he had lost everything he had forcefully acquired and could end up losing far more by the end of the night. Logan would follow Gambit's lead, he knew the X-men's very presence may have been another strike against the Thieves, by being Gambit's hidden back up, he may have created more of reason to lose tonight. Showing up with Gambit would surely stir up more unnecessary hostility.

"But-" Rogue protested, but neither men could listen. Gambit was thankful that Logan seemed, for the most part, to understand the gravity of what was going on. However he still did not, or would not comprehend Gambit's request to be left completely alone.

" The second things start lookin' bad we'll jump in. " Logan assured him, he then turned to walk over to Scott and Bobby, Logan tried to not react to Rogue's eyes that were growing with confused frustration.

"Logan." Gambit called after him. Logan looked back at him over his shoulder. "Don't." Gambit said as seriously as he could, it was his final attempt to stop them from following him. Logan did not respond as he turned and stepped back over to Bobby and Scott. Logan decided to give them a moment, if he needed to say something, even if it was good bye, now would be the time. Rogue had her fists balled in frustration, as Logan stepped away from her. She then turned around to look at Remy, and he shocked her by swiftly wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

" Remy-" Rogue said in a shocked whisper. Why was he being this way, why did this all feel so final? It was all terribly unnerving, this is not the man she was used to, this was not the same man that had retrieved mutant captives from an abandoned mine or the man that had infiltrated the Genoshian Army to save her and her friends lives. She felt like she was being held by a dead man, she almost didn't recognize him without his annoying over-confidence or his charming grin or cocksure glint in his eye. She wanted to tell him he was being stupid, she wanted to say how irrational this all was, and who cared about these old laws? Who cared about these ancient rules when these vicious murderers had his father and he could potentially die. Now was not the time to be a law abiding Thief Guild member, now was the time to break these laws like his father had done. She didn't understand how, all of a sudden, he could grow some sort of moral obligation to his traditions; he's timing was insanity.

"Thanks fo' de dance, Cher. " Remy had every problem in the world apologizing, but saying thank you was something that he never found too difficult. He continued to press his hands against her back and slowly move them up and down perhaps this was an attempt to savor her; to remember her. There was only two ways that this could end: either Remy would die tonight and hopefully his brother would survive, even if his father and himself did not. He was sure if he died there would be no hope for his father. And as a bonus, the last thing he ever did would be something right for once, or he would retrieve his father and they would both live and Remy would never want to be seen again. This was so ugly, this side of him, no rational person would ever want anything this toxic poisoning their lives; he knew he wouldn't. If they survived he would accept his fate and stay with the Thieves Guild, it was always his rightful place, and he was a fool to think he could have ran from it.

" This is-" Rogue was cut off by the strangest and most finalizing goodbyes of her life. In this moment Remy was saying goodbye to everything that they could have been. He truly believed he would not survive the night, and he meant what he had said, it really was a great time in his life. And not just their first and last dance at the club, from the moment that he had met her again in New Orleans and even when he had kidnapped her, they had begun a sort of dance. It was clear to himself now, not even he had realized how happy he was.

"Coulda been de best dance Ah ever had." In the way he said it, Rogue knew that he wasn't just talking about the dance at the Cats Club, he was talking about all of their time together. She had made him happy and she deserve to know that; he needed her to know that before they parted ways, possibly for the last time. " Please don' say nothin' else."

"Ah..." Rogue said, and then not another word. She could not protest, she could not deny him his last request and she said nothing. This was Remy's last gift to her as well, this way she didn't need to say goodbye and she wouldn't have to think of anything to say. Given more time they could have fallen in love, but that was too painful to think about. Remy slowly and painstakingly released her, she turned away so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore, she couldn't bare it. In a moment he would be cloaked in the velvet black shadows and would no longer be visible. Rogue continue to feel helpless, but only for a moment before she began feeling determination. She wasn't going to allow him to fall like this. In all of her fear and crushing panic she had forgotten who she was, she was an X-Man, a woman with incredible power. She then turned and walked towards the others.

" So what do we do now?" Bobby asked Rogue. She faced them, the look on her face was utter tenacity. She looked at Bobby and almost smiled.

" We give him a hand." Rogue said.

* * *

(Earlier that night earlier that night...)

" Good luck little brother. " Henri thought as he tied the wooden raft to the bank. He then got onto another raft and paddled down the river in the opposite direction. As promised he keep his distance from the Assassins home but stayed within paddling distance. He did not want to be too far away. He would not miss an opportunity to retrieve his father or possibly even help his brother. He made his way down the river and it was only a few yards into the darkness before he got the overwhelming urge that he was being watched. Immediately he pulled a gun from his waistband and made sure that the safety was off. He waited and listened, at first he thought it was a cloud of bats, the way the fluttering sound through the poplar trees resonating against the water did not sound like a person hanging in the branches.

"Henri LeBeau, welcome home Thief son. " The voice rang in Henri's ears. Strangely the voice did not echo. By all rights, the voice should have echoed, but he knew immediately that this was not a voice of this natural world, and he respectively called back.

"On a night like tonight, seems like speaking face-to-face would be the proper thing." Henri spoke softly into the darkness, he knew exactly who this was. As far as Henri was concerned, he had nerves of steel, his heart barely rose a heartbeat as he confronted this immortal being. He was not afraid of death, he wanted to die someday, and he embraced who he was, a man with faults, but also a man with no stomach for criminal life unless it was on paper. He then turned his attention to the voice ringing in his ears. It was a voice of a woman that he had met when he was only 13 years old, when he had become an official Thief member, and he knew better than to be anything less than subservient to her.

" I would not think the son of Jean-Luc LeBeau would know what the word 'proper' meant." Candra's voice responded disrespectfully. Candra felt like the LeBeau men were generally a cowardice bunch. Henri was definitely the worst, he ran further and longer than his brother ever did. He began running from his proper Guild lifestyle in his late teen's and he preferred to serve his purpose detached and away. He normally could be found everywhere else but home, Candra was surprised he was actually here.

" Please, Candra, Ah'm not m' father. Ah've learned from his mistakes, give me a chance-give the Thieves a chance ta make right what my father had done wrong." Henri said thoughtfully. Since this could have been the only time that Henri would have a solo audience with Candra, he thought perhaps it would be best to start apologizing now, perhaps she would help spare his father's life.

" You are certainly not your father. I have, in my existence, never met a guild member of either side, that refused my gifts." Candra remembered when she met the first son of Jean-Luc LeBeau. She was confused by him, to say the least. " You didn't want to drink the elixir vitale." She remembered. At the time she didn't ask, because she didn't care enough for an answer. Now as she saw him growing older, with the lines on his face and the graying of his mustache, she wanted to know why.

" You are a miraculous creature and your gifts are sublime, but Ah'm not prepared for an existence of near-immortality. Ah find comfort in natural death, but not tonight and not for my family. Candra, please help us live." In true LeBeau charm, Henri attempted to state their case before the night's events began. He knew whatever was happening tonight would start very soon and it didn't hurt to speak with the one in charge. Surely, his father was guilty of a grave offense, but Henri did not see the harm in pleading his case.

" The same prayer was made the night you slaughtered the Assassins. An Assassin begged me to live as well and they were the ones that were wronged. You tell me who was more befitting of an answered prayer: you begging for your life after doing an unspeakable wrong or the innocent Assassins that were attempting peace and then unjustly slaughtered?" Omnipotent beings were not necessarily interested in being kind and just. Candra had been powerful so long and had played with lives so easily she didn't necessarily care about what was fair. She wanted to be treated as a God; she wanted her words to matter more in the lives of these people than anything else, she wanted her laws to be followed, and she loved being entertained by them.

" Certainly greed is an infection that you have never suffered from, but it is a horrible feeling and an irresistible one. We are, after all, only human. Our mistake did violate the old ways and because of it we have experienced loss of nearly everything, and suffered gruesome punishment as a justified result. Give us a chance to win our lives within the confines of the tradition. I promise you retribution in the old ways." Henri had no issue with speaking to Candra; just like his father had taught him you must speak as though you were talking to a judge that actually mattered, but also remember that the woman knows herself to be a God. Whether you agreed with her or not, it was irrelevant, let her think whatever she wanted; Play into it. The important thing was that she would deliver the power that her promised.

"Retribution of tradition and re-establishment of the old ways seems odd coming from a Thief-son. Your Guild even denied my existence." She said her voice growing in anger. For all her knowledge and experience that she had acquired during her long life, she had developed a very narcissistic and vain habit.

"Candra, Ah will not lie to you. Perhaps you are correct and some faith was lost, some members no longer wanted to accept your power but I always did. This is why Ah did not drink the elixir vitale Ah knew it would work, and never doubted you." Henri explained. Candra could not argue with this point, his very actions proved that he did respect Candra and her power.

" Would you give me good reason to give you such an undeserving chance?" You could practically hear the anticipation in Candra's voice. It was almost as though she were asking what would she get out of tonight. Henri knew he had to offer something that would tempt Candra and an idea suddenly sprang in his head, it was a long shot but he had no other options. What could he possibly have to give a god? Out of desperation Henry attempted his gamble.

" My brother has with him powerful mutants, not as powerful as you, but they could serve as audience. You could allow them to know you." Henri remained stone-faced, but inside he practically winced at his words, he knew that outside members were a direct violation of her law, however, Candra was a vain and at times, compulsive. Hopefully the idea of a new and powerful audience would tantalize her. There was a long silence, which was a good sign, this meant that she was thinking about it.

" A powerful mutant audience?" Candra ask, clearly intrigued by the concept. She knew that there were growing numbers of powerful mutants in the world, many of them did not rival her power, but the idea of beings more powerful than the humans marveling at her ability and her strength was quite the temptation.

" Four of them. Each one of them unique and powerful in there own right, and there will be no one to stand for my brother other than myself and my father. These four mutants do not know of your strength, surely a fight with a single-minded audience does not interest you as much as a house divided." Henri felt confident that he had Candra's attention, he could practically hear her smiling in the darkness. Hopefully Remy's friends would not protest to this, but as it stands, they would have little choice in the matter. Once Candra set her sights on something she wanted she would always get it, no matter what stood in her way.

" These mutants would agree to this- Well, it does not matter. Yes, I cannot argue with you, I would like to see that. Where are these mutants?" It was difficult to fathom that a powerful ancient being actually having a tinge of child-like excitement at the thought of impressing superior humans, but she could not deny the thrill. When you lived as long as Candra had, the idea of thrill becomes harder and harder to attain. She would have never walked away from an opportunity like this, even if it did violate her own laws.

" They will be approaching very soon. They will be accompanying my brother, and surely Remy will not defy the laws, he knows better; you may take them once they part ways." Henri would not yet breathe a sigh of relief because he did not know if his brother's mutant friends would disagree and attempt to fight with Candra. He knew that he was risking the chance that they would anger Candra. Of course he did not want Candra to kill the four mutants, but he was more concerned about how that would reflect on his family, hopefully they would understand; especially the girl that seemed to care for his brother, he he hoped that, possibility, she would talk the others into serving as audience and hopefully they would not become involved.

" I will escort them once they arrive. In the meantime you must be escorted as well. The time is growing close for your retribution, or destruction depending on how well your brother does tonight." She said. Henri's stomach dropped, he had not counted on this. He had a strong feeling that this was a becoming a Blood Trial! Candra had arranged a Blood Trail for the Assassins! She only she could arrange a t for the Assassins so that the Thieves may pay for what they had done and Remy would be fighting for the future of the Thieves Guild.

" Wha-?!" Henri felt a tightening pressure around his rib cage as though he were being held by a giant hand that was threatening to crush him to death. He was then pulled off of his feet and levitated into the night sky; Candra's face manifested in front of him, at first, all he was faced was just a dark black shadow, the shadow then began to develop contours and form and shape until it was the beautiful smiling face of an ancient woman with a child-like glint of excitement in her eye. She looked exactly as beautiful and as terrifying as she did when he was a boy.

" You must pull in your share as well Thief-son." Candra smiled. Henri had still violated laws for the role he played in the Assassin massacre and Candra would not allow him to forget. As she spoke stadium-strong lights snapped on and immediately flooded the swamp with a wave of electric light Henry fell blind for a moment until his eyes adjusted; in the trees and small boats hidden along the bank Assassins had been waiting for this and had watched everything. They had been lining the bank silently as Candra instructed them to. Henri felt like the life was being crush from him and could not speak Candra smiled at him one last time and practically threw him into the group of Assassins who caught and held him.

"Long time coming Thief..." One particularly compulsive and enraged Assassin member said.

"W-who?" Henri did not recognize these men or their clothing, they looked like perhaps they could be Assassins, but the clothing was different and the faces were not at all the Boudreaux's he remembered. Recruiting new members was unusual, but not unexpected, seeing as Thieves had nearly slaughtered them into extinction.

" Perhaps we haven't been properly introduced. Us new members like to call each other 'Rippers' but for what you have done I will settle for something a little more... inelegant." he pulled a gun from his waistband and held it to Henry's head and cocked the trigger. These new Ripper-Assassins had made an effort to establish themselves by aiding in the rebuilding of the Assassin's Guild by agreeing to be a part of the truly grizzly and brutal acts ordered by their Assassin Guild leader. "It's best we get you out of the way now!" Suddenly, the would-be murderer whipped his gun to his side and made a slight choking sound. Being new to the Assassin Guild meant learning all the rules and regulations that were put in place to keep both sides in order, and just like any training, new members were going to make mistakes.

" Ripper-Assassin there is much that you need to learn!" Candra's voice boomed for all to hear. Just as she had done with Henri, she gripped the Ripper with unseen hands and lifted him in front of her. " You must learn the way of things!" She then slowly proceeded to lower him into the dark swamp water below. He choked and sputtered right under the water's surface. He whipped and flailed as the water began to fill his lungs. Other members did not dare speak out. One other Assassin, that clearly knew the drowning Ripper/Assassin, did race over to the bank and watched helplessly as his teammate drowned. After a moment the Ripper-Assassin stopped his splashing and his lifeless body floated limp to the surface. The Assassin that had raced over to the bank, clearly this Assassin was a friend of his, jumped into the water and pulled his friend's body onto the shore. He then look up to Candra and boldly spoke.

" You killed him!" The Assassin said in total shock, he could barely comprehend what had just happened to his fellow Ripper-Assassin.

" He needed to learn a lesson." Candra replied coldly. She didn't necessarily care for either side more or less. She did want to reward Assassins and Ripper-Assassins for their unwavering dedication to her by arranging the Blood Trial for the sake of them winning their justice. She had given them much, she made it so the Assassins were allowed to create their 'Rippers' and she had allowed them to recruit to swell their ranks, and she also had given them the resources to force their way back into power in New Orleans and the southern coast, all in a very short amount of time. Her generosity, however, did not mean they could act however they liked.

" But he-he dead!" the Assassin responded.

" That is the lesson! Do not defy me, do not defy my law or suffer the same!" Candra boomed. The other Assassin's looked at Henri, they naturally blamed him for the newest death of their teammate, and hissed threats into his ears as they dragged him towards the new Assassin home.

* * *

 _(Along the swamp bank; 2 miles from the Assassin maison)_

"Okay so we have to back up Gambit without anybody knowing we're backing him up. We have to remain as hidden as possible, best way to do that is to get an aerial view of this place. Rogue?" Scott said inviting Rogue to do her thing.

"Ah'm on it." Rogue then levitated and flew up, like a shot, high above the dark clouds to get a better look at where the complex. She took to flying naturally, it was almost like swimming only with a much greater amount of control; it was so simple for her and she could fly so much faster then she could run and it only made her half as tired. It was an explainable expression of absolute freedom. Meanwhile, on the ground Scott looked to Bobby.

" We're going to need to cut ourselves a path, and a quick one. The fastest way to anything as a straight line. Logan? Bobby? What do you got?" Scott knew giving out assignments made his team creative and they were excellent problem solvers. He was confident they would find a solid way of approaching this.

"Simple." Bobby said confidently. And just as he stated, he stepped onto the swamp water and froze it into a solid ridged walkway, complete with hand rail. He would walk several steps out into the water and miraculously the ice bridge would manifest before his next step could land, it was automatic and a wonderfully simple solution. Even though Bobby was not the biggest fan of hot weather, the Louisiana environment was extremely humid, which made it ideal to pull water out of the air to create ice; being Iceman was never so easy. Logan stepped onto the bridge as well and jumped into the trees. He used his adamantium claws to cut away anything that would have obstructed their path, he then sliced the branches like a hot knife through butter; it was almost as effortless as Bobby's display.

" Bobby, let's get a little light on the subject." Scott ordered. Scott and Bobby had been working on a little trick together: Bobby would create a hollow basketball size ice ball with a small opening and Scott would then shoot his optic blast into the ice-ball and it would reflect and hit against the inside of the ball allowing the red optic blast to light and shine for a short period of time before losing momentum. Bobby would then place it in the water and it would become a floating lighted buoy. The red light optic blast was low-light enough to where it would not be recognized from a distance, making it perfectly safe to use as a way to light their path and, most importantly, to see if anything was placed in the water to prevent unwanted visitors.

"Good. Logan?" Scott asked what he could see, hear, and smell.

" It's clear enough and we can make it through. Good enough visibility where we could get there in no time." Logan said. They then watched Rogue descending from the night sky and gently land in front of Scott. Scott briefly admired her descension and the way she gracefully touch her feet to the soft bank, even her hair seemed to fall in slow motion. In her revealing civilian clothing he could not help but notice how beautiful she was, the moody young girl he had attended high-school with was quickly disappearing and being replaced with this strong and nearly, fully-developed woman.

" North by northeast. You're already headin' in the right direction. Ah can see it plain as day, n' Logan's right. It'll take no time at all if we leave now. We could probably get there before he does." Rogue said confidently. They're incredible display of amazing powers were practically breathtaking to Candra who watched from afar. Henri LeBeau was correct, these beings were powerful and beautiful. The older mutant with claws was animalistic and fierce, a bit primitive, however, she almost knew he was unnaturally older then the rest. The youngest was still a boy, clearly and in every way he seemed immature, fun and fun-loving but with the power to freeze the entire swamp if he had a mind to. The taller young man, it was obvious to her that he had just finished with boy-hood, slender and handsome. He generated incredible power from his eyes, she had never seen anything like it. The girl they had with him was a flyer, and how carefully she touched everything made her think that her power was incredible, and the precious moment between her and the youngest Thief-son did not go unnoticed by her. She delighted at the idea of imposing her powers and abilities on them, and the possible drama of the Thief-son, his scorned Assassin in-laws, and this beautiful mutant girl was deliciously intriguing.

" Can you see the complex?" Scott asked.

" Yeah, n'other than the hostage situation, Ah don't think were gonna have any problem gettin' inta it. Ah can't see it close-up, but it's yer standard five level manor- house, high wall surroundin' it, about 10 feet, n'a swamp around that. It looks deserted. Lights are on, but it ain't lookin' like anybody's home." Rogue said.

" Just because we don't see 'em doesn't mean they're not there." Logan said, he assumed he could smell them around him if they were in fact watching him, and he noticed nothing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in the atmosphere that he didn't recognize; he knew what swamp smells like. He knew what swamp water, poplar and magnolia smelled like, being out in this wilderness was relatively comfortable for him, but the problem was he could faintly smell a scent that was completely out of place to the atmosphere. It was like nothing he had ever noticed before, it was so unfamiliar he didn't know whether or not this was something he should be concerned about. He was on his guard anyhow, and the others did not notice Logan's body language changed and continued to discuss their next move.

"Rogue did you want to fly over?" Bobby asked. " Because I can ice slide everyone straight to their front door if you want." He was so confident in his abilities. Louisiana would be the perfect environment to try some real advanced ice-tricks. He stood on his ice-bridge, using the perfect humid environment to make the most lavish ice-sculptures and dropping them into the water.

" I think it would be best if Logan paved the way, and Rogue was our sky-eye. With how fast you make your ice slides there won't be enough light to navigate where you're going. We should take this steady." Scott cautioned.

" Gettin' there before Gambit does sounds like a really good idea Scott. What about paving way for him? Logan?" Rogue looked to Logan for his opinion and he was clearly distracted by something out in the darkness. Scott turn to him also and noticed the same thing and became immediately alarmed.

"Logan?" Scott asked. He didn't respond to Scott, instead his body tensed and he popped his long metal claws.

"Bobby! Get off the water!" Logan called out. Logan had followed that unfamiliar smell all around them, it was moving and was circling them and then it had disappeared. The scent then mixed with the familiar smell of swamp-water, he knew whatever this was, it was rising from the water. He then called out to Bobby as quickly as he noticed it. Bobby did not ask questions and jumped off of his ice-bridge toward the swamp's bank. Not a moment had gone by before Bobby landed on the bank and a glowing green light began to illuminate the bottom of the swamp floor. It was like a fireball and from the depths of the black water it slowly rose only to burst through the surface of the still swamp. The light broke not only the water's surface but also Bobby's ice-bridge; shards of ice sprayed everywhere. A grand splash of water followed, the water's splash suspended in midair like some grand ornate glass-looking alter and the stray droplets of water that accompanied the explosives splash stayed suspended and remained dispersed like drops of rain that never fell, everything seemed to be suspended in thin air. The green light began to form an unnatural shadow, the light defied all logic as the form of a woman took shape and hovered above the suspended water alter.

"What is this!" Scott demanded, he was unafraid and understandably shocked at what he saw. The woman seems to be made of translucent light, she slowly but surely began to dim and in front of their eyes, floated a solid person. She wore a red and gold type of type of revealing armor, similar to something a futuristic Amazon would wear; it glistens like a sort of unnatural metal. She had a long flowing mane of blonde hair that moved as though she were under water, it floated all around her and about her shoulders. One half of her face seemed as though it had been severely burnt and the outline of her facial muscles were prominent. The damaged half of her face seemed to radiate with streaks of blue neon colored veins underneath the muscles of her face. Her eyes had been closed as if she had been sleeping. Then, as if woken by Scott's question, her eyes dramatically snapped open, one eye was a clear blue and her other eye, on the damaged half of her face, was a solid white eye with no pupil, it shined with the same neon blue light that her veins did.

"Who are you?" Scott said firmly. Scott's question was answered with a small superior sort of grin.

" I am _Candra of the Floating Spires_ and I am God here. You are outsiders, and you have no business within the confines of this place." Candra had not appeared in front of anyone beyond the agreed-upon date and time in more than 700 years and if these people had been ordinary humans she would have continued her tradition in only making her presence known by the use of her voice. But tonight was a very special night, and she could not help but break her own rules. Rogue was angered by the obstacle in front of her, keeping her from making sure that her teammates survived. She boldly flew in front of Candra and looked her in the eye fearlessly.

"We have someone here that is part of our team. He is our business." Rogue said firmly, she wasn't impressed by her fancy title or dramatic entrance.

" And you would challenge me?" Candra said, she was impressed by the girl's unwillingness to cower. Perhaps she misjudged her. Did this girl willingly feel more for the Thief-son then a what she originally thought, and he her? It would be intriguing to see the result.

" Ah don't want to." Rogue said thoughtfully, she much rather discuss this, but she was on a time restraint and doubted this ' _Candra of the Floating Spires'_ was in a chatty mood.

" But we will if we have to." Scott added from below.

" You cannot stop what is happening here tonight. However, if you wish to become audience to this trial... that, I will allow." Candra stated.

"What trial?" Rogue asked. She got the feeling that this woman was more God-complex than actual God. She felt that this woman was, in reality, a maximum-level mutant with a serious ego; but just because Rogue had revoked her God-card didn't mean that her power wasn't real.

" What is left of the Thieves Guild are being tried for their crimes against Guild law. Jean-Luc LeBeau has been sentenced to death, however, the Assassins must earn the right to kill him. The youngest LeBeau son must agree to fight for his father's life. If he loses, there will be no more Thieves Guild and if he wins things may remain as they always have been, but with control more evenly disbursed among the two families." Candra was extremely proud of her sentencing. If the Thieves won, then the feuding of the families would begin again and the fight for power would resume. If the Thief fell, then the Assassin would have all of what the Thieves took and more. Either way, Candra was entertained.

" When you say 'lose', what-" Rogue had a feeling that this 'trial' wasn't so much a trial, but rather a fight to the death.

" It is a Blood Trial." Candra said proudly. Rogue nearly winced, unfortunately she was right.

" Fightin' ta the death!? That's crazy! Why would you do that?" Rogue demanded, her fists balling in anger. She was sure now, this woman was a mutant, not a God and she was playing with the lives of these people as though they were toys. She had been doing it for so long that she actually believed her own made-up legend, she was a self-made myth with the power to back it up, and that power was so strong no one objected; especially when her 'followers' received such powerful gifts. Because of these 'gifts', both, Thieves and Assassins had even less of a reason to speak against Candra.

" It is the way it is always been done and it will be this way until the end and you will not interfere." Candra was finding the attitudes of these mutants bothersome and she was becoming bored.

" Like hell we won't!" Rogue demanded as she rushed Candra. Rogue pulled back to give this 'God' the punch of her life, but she was stopped abruptly in midair by Candra merely raising her brow. This was more of what Candra was looking for, she hadn't had a good fight in eons.

" Your power is impressive, but mine is greater do not attempt to challenge me, child. Still, I will permit you audience. You have the audacity to challenge me, you are clearly worthy enough to view my brand of justice." Candra was reasonably surprised when the girl had attempted to attack her, she should have known better. However, she was taken aback when a pure red optic blast hit her directly in the shoulder, this mildly angered and further impressed her, because it hurt. She rarely felt pain, she then looked at Scott and mentally grab the others and pulled them up to her eye level along with Rogue. None of them could move. Bobby attempted to make ice but it only succeeded in frosting his hands and nothing more. Logan extended his claws, however he could not move them to use them.

" You don't have to do this!" Scott called out, he had suspected the same thing Rogue had: they were dealing with a very, very powerful mutant. Scott was absolutely sure now, Gambit was not worth this. Now, because of him, all of them were in danger and this was far exceeding his disappointments. He attempted to once again, release an optic blast right to Candra's face, though it would cause them to drop into the water, it would give them a chance to re-group and come at her again; they would no longer be in her absolute control. When Scott attempted his optic blast something prevented him from doing so. Candra had learned quickly, she was purposely blocking his ability and the harder Scott tried the more it actually hurt his eyes. Candra was successfully blocking his optic blast, this self-proclaimed God, clearly she was a mutant, a mutant that far exceeded their own abilities but as Earth-bound as the rest of them, one of her abilities was holding their powers hostage.

" No one needs to die tonight!" Logan protested.

"Your own lives are in your hands! You will not die tonight as long as you remember yourselves. However the fate of the trial is up to those involved, if you somehow become an interference I will kill the lot of them; it will be simple." Candra's voice almost sounded as though thunder rumbled all around them. She had told them the truth; certainly she was in control of this place and they were outgunned.

" Well, since you're not going to kill us, where are you taking us?" Scott said more annoyed then angry. And as powerful as she was, she did not want to block their ability to speak. She wanted to hear what they had to say. She smiled at Scott.

" This is an Assassin trial, it will be held in the Assassin home. It is where you were going anyhow, and we should hurry. The youngest LeBeau son is almost there and he cannot do without his sympathizers." Candra said. She carried her captives to the Blood Trial, the excitement in her grin was difficult to ignore. This was the most excitement she had, had in lifetimes.

* * *

( _further up the river...)_

The dark clouds were mercifully forgiving in covering Gambit's path to his old childhood secret spot. It was the place he had his first taste of alcohol with his best friend Belle. They had even shared an unfortunate childhood first-kiss involving a hiccup, a bit lip, and Remy being punched in the stomach, but they moved on from it; their friendship survived and they went on to share everything together: secrets, games, meals and virtually help keep each other sane through their mutually unbelievable lifestyles. They knew that not everyone was like them and together they were each others support system. They were each others reasons for surviving their childhoods. Belle would have been the reason they survived through their teen years if Remy's father hadn't gotten in the way. Belle had convinced him that the only way to remain alive and stay in the south was to join the two rival families in peace. And there was only one way to do it legally; they needed to marry each other. They would have to be patient, keep up appearances, pretend they were in love long enough to be convincing. Once they established the ground work for peace, they could leave and start their real lives in the real world. It was a pretty idea, take care of their families and have their freedom too. It would be a drastic remedy to help the healing between the two families. Remy was apprehensive, but ultimately agreed to her plan with the support of both their fathers. Sadly, it did nothing to cool the hatred of either side. Jean-Luc LeBeau, Remy's father, could not resist the chance to use Belle's plan to gain total control of the south. He followed Guild law to a T, until the Assassins were at their most vulnerable. Jean-Luc then used the eldest Boudreaux son, just like he used Belle and Remy to distract the entire Assassin Guild, which gave Jean-Luc the perfect opportunity to seize the upper hand and incite war. The worst part may have been, that, given enough time, Belle's plan could have worked.

Slowly Gambit paddled down the narrow waterways, careful to avoid the strangling vines and underwater roots that threatened to tangle him. He made sure to abandon the raft and jumped into the half submerged poplar trees that grew close to the bank of the river. Remy jumped soundlessly from tree to tree until he came upon the treeline that hugged the border of the high stone wall. He made sure to abandoned raft so that it began to flow down river, hopefully it would serve as something of a distraction if it was discovered it all. All at once it seemed like the veil of cloud cover parted enough for the moonlight to reveal the new Assassins maison; the slopes and towers of the house clearly influenced by the old plantation houses and Victorian manors. On each side of the grand doorway were two flaming pillars that lit up the front lawn. Everything about it was large, omniscient and ornate. He could see no movement outside of the grounds or near any of the windows, It seemed that it was lit up enough for some sort of grand event but no one could be seen inside. Remy had expected there to at least be Assassins with guns on the rooftops watching the vast waterways for approaching boats or unwanted visitors, like himself. He did not see a soul, even though the house looked very much alive. He would jump from cypress to cypress tree with ease, in order to inch closer and closer towards the complex. Thankfully, Noly's plans were so detailed that he had no issue finding the safest path there. The first thing that the Assassins had made sure was established was the high stone wall, but it made no matter because Remy had no problem seamlessly jumping from the ground in front of the stone wall and scaling it with absolute ease. Again, thanks to Noly's plans, he landed on the other side of the wall in the best possible position. He was disturbed that he still hadn't seen a soul. He knew they had to be expecting him, but he was sure he hadn't been detected yet. Noly's plans indicated that there was an unfinished portion of the complex that was reserved for a deck and garden, it had yet to be set up with lighting. No electricity was as good as an unlocked door to a skilled thief. He was sure that once the house was done, the manor would be a fortress, hidden away in the maze-like swamp. It was almost as though it were something out of a different time, a dark and hidden castle and some where his father was being held within it.

Following the plans, Gambit scaled the wall on the east side of the building with ease, it was where the deepest shadows were cast, if for some reason the clouds shifted and the moonlight made an appearance it would not matter because the east side of the building was cloaked in a shadowy cape. His favorite way to break into any building was always a skylight, basements and back doors were far too obvious. The high ground was the best possible place to get a visual and it was always less obvious to anyone that may have been keeping watch inside. Usually people always suspected a basement first, then a back door, a side window was usually next, even a dog door, if you were capable of getting in through, but a skylight gave you an element of surprise. He wouldn't have been at all shocked if the Assassins were prepared for that, but he saw no one.

Gambit had chose the best skylight, according to the Noly's floor plans, he gripped the frame of the window and soundlessly rolled himself inside. He stuck to the darkest parts of the house, he had prepared himself for anything as well, anything for the exception of what he saw. Just as he dropped in from the skylight just above the foyer, the soft glow of candles lined the outside of the room and weaved along the wall of only one specific hallway. He recognized this immediately, it was a formal invitation to convene. He had only seen it once in his own home, when he was little, it was an welcome mat for Guild business.

"Here we go..." Remy thought, and taking in a deep breath he faced himself in the direction of, what the plans told him, was the grand ballroom. This candle lit path wasn't just a welcome mat, it was a warning that they had been waiting for him. Remy had never appreciated Guild law until now, he knew that if he were to follow the candle pathway that he would not be harmed. He remembered his uncles talking about how the lit candle pathway gave the illusion of civility, as if there was a civil way to kill a man. If they were, in fact, abiding by the laws as then that meant he would be face to face with whom ever was in charge and, hopefully, his living father. He was almost certain that he was being called in to witness his father's execution, and then possibly be killed himself. He could only hope that where ever his brother was, that he was far enough to not witness his family being killed, Henri's sole job was to retrieve their father once Remy got done saving him. He was also sure that the X-men were around, hopefully, they would not be here in time to see him like this. In the same weighted heavy walk that he had felt on the way to the river bank, he continued to walk down this hallway almost as though it were a death row. The hallways were long and lavish, clearly they just finished them. They were long runways of polished black and white marble with lush crimson carpet. One one side of the hall were long open windows, with long flowing chiffon curtains that were alive with wind and gracefully danced and they reached for Remy as he passed by. The other side of the hallway was lined with guiding, flickering candles and large ornate frames with portraits of dead Assassin family members, their eyes watched him as he passed by. In spirit, they had all attended tonight; he couldn't imagine they would want to miss the ending of the Thieves Guild, revenge will always draw a crowd.

He was sure he was completely alone, but not unknown. He heard soft conversation and shuffling as he set down the long, candlelit hallway. As he walked down the long hallway leading into who-knows-what, there was a noticeable surge of excited conversation and as quickly as the voices kicked up it quieted down. It sounded like a group of people, not just ten or twenty, it seemed like it may have been a group of at least 200 people. Halfway through his death march everything became silent again. The hallway also became darker and darker. He hated that he didn't know what this was exactly, but he was beginning to grow a very familiar feeling of dread. It was the same dread he had felt back at the school infirmary; it was the same dread that forced him to chase Rogue away. His dread gave way to a growing panic as he approached the ornate doors of the ballroom. He had no sooner stepped in front the thick hardwood doors before they opened for him. He forced his breathing to remain steady as he stepped forward.

The moment he stepped in everything became as quiet as a tomb, nothing stirred as he took several cautious steps into the huge dark space. He could see the polished marble floors and its high impressive ceilings, which caused the slightest of sounds to give off the most magnificent echoes but, as became habit with him by the time he was thirteen, his footsteps always remain silent as he walked through the grand entrance of the newly finished ballroom. No sooner had he stepped through the threshold, that a literal fireball ignited in the center of the high ceiling. Flames ignited a large chandelier and everywhere around him candles ignited with soft light, though he couldn't see them lit by anyone the light began to illuminate the room and reveal a group of dark figures lining the walls everywhere. As the room become more and more brightly lit he could see all of them; they were against the walls, and standing on what appeared to be stage and along the railings of the upper loft. Remy even noticed little Elie Boudreaux pressing his little face between the bars up on the loft, he looked down on him with the same hatred as his fellow adult Assassins. Everywhere was full, even the smaller balconies, each one of them occupied by an eager yet somber looking face. Remy had estimated well, now with the dim light he could see that there was just over 200 Assassin populated the room, he was sure that no Assassin or Ripper would miss this.

~*~" The guest of honor has arrived!"~*~ One of the voices said. It was a woman's voice, he wasn't certain where the voice had come from; it could have been from any direction. The echo was confusing, at first it felt like the voice was speaking from the middle of the room, it was condescending and almost joyful. Something made Remy jerk his head toward the stage, a figure whose face was obstructed by shadow and dressed in the traditional Assassin tithing-coat stepped forward. This long-legged woman wore boots and some sort of black tight armored pants, that's all Remy could see but he already knew who this was. Remy's heart began to pound so hard he feared he would black out, the moment the voice registered in his mind, Remy could feel a terrible chill under his skin, it caused a shivering wave to weaken his body. He struggled to keep his breathing from picking up, if panic took him, it would be all over. And as the figure stepped forward, the incredible weight of the guilt, sadness, and crushing anxiety physically made Remy's knees buckle. The moment the voice spoke again Remy dropped to one knee, unable to hold himself up.

"Welcome home, Neg." said Bella Donna Boudreaux.

 _(To be continued...)_


	8. Chapter 8: Gambit's Wedding Night

**I** Chapter 8

* * *

 ** _~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~ ~*~Warning!~*~_**

 _This one got really dark...and gory, I even questioned posting it, but this is FanFiction and you have been warned!_

* * *

 **Gambit's Wedding Night**

 _(Years Ago; Louisiana, Assassin Maison...)_

 _(~*~Translated from French~*~)_

In the courtyard of the Assassin's home, the Thieves Guild gathered together in their entirety. They obediently and quietly stood together in a large semi-circled filling the large stone courtyard to watch _the Blood Trial_ take place. One of their highest members, John-Luc LeBeau, the leader of the Thieves Guild, had been accused of misrepresenting his youngest son, Remy LeBeau, as a normal young man. Marius Boudreaux, the leader of the Assassins Guild, demanded satisfaction for his family, and the bride, Marius' only daughter, Bella Donna Boudreaux. It was beyond risky to consent to a marriage between their children; he was taking an unbelievable leap of faith to allow the union, but the possible outcome was far too worthwhile to not attempt. The outcome would have been peace for the two families for the first time in hundreds and hundreds of years. Unfortunately, no sooner had the wedding concluded, when the groom was revealed as a monster, an unnatural thing, that was now married to Marius' beloved daughter. His daughter, unbeknownst to Marius, knew full well that Remy was a mutant. She had known for years now, ever since he had made that one frantic phone call to her in the middle of the night. They had agreed to meet in their secret spot, and he revealed to her that he had the incredible ability to hold on to something make it glow and then make it explode. His fantastic ability was as unbelievable as the union of an Assassin-daughter to a Thief-son. It was revealed during the wedding ceremony that the boy was a mutant, and he was outed in the most dramatic of scenes. The mutant-Thief was outed by the eldest Boudreaux son, Julien Boudreaux. Unfortunately, Julien, was known by both families as a sociopath, he was an insanely violent young man, with no ability to empathize. It had been rumored for a long time that the Julien was not born "correctly". It was perceived from an early age that Julien enjoyed killing, he enjoyed it as much as a man would enjoy any forbidden vice. Marius was heartbroken, he could handle it if his son were an alcoholic or even a drug addict, but he did not how to cure his son's desire for blood and sadistic torment. His own father and the rest of Guild feared him, and they dreaded the idea of, one day, being lead by him. If Julien were to take control the Guild, the Assassins would no doubt take on the same violent and psychotic turn Julien was known for. Needless to say that the Assassins were conflicted, they naturally wanted their enemies to fall, but if Julien won he would, no doubt, murder his father and take his place as leader of the Assassins Guild. Julien was a master of his craft and surely no one would be able to prove he was the one that would ever commit such an outrageous act. Julien's bodies were never found, unless he wanted them to be.

The Blood Trial would began at sunset, and the crowded courtyard of men eyed each other from their respected sides. The entire Assassin Guild watched the Thieves Guild across from them nervously. They all anxiously awaited for the sunlight to dim as Julien prepared himself upstairs for tonight's challenge. Traditionally, it should have been Marius to fight for his daughter's honor, but he left the challenge to Juilen. Marius had allowed his son to take the challenge; it was in hopes that his son's savage anger could be spent on the useless LeBeau-boy, instead of himself. Marius feared for the lives of his daughter and his own, his heart pounded terribly at his options: if Juilen won, it would not be very long until his son's murderous nature would be turned on himself or perhaps Belle. If Juilen lost, the marriage would stand and Marius would suffer the consequences from his Guild for allowing a mutant to marry his only daughter. He was a father divided, he dreaded the day that his son's unstoppable violent nature would threaten his home. All he could do while Julien was growing up, was protect Belle from the horrors of her brother, and he had successfully done so. However, Juilen's sickness was far beyond a father's abilities to mend, but what could he have done? The idea of bringing his Assassin prince to a psychiatric hospital was unthinkable. The heir to a ancient criminal syndicate, receiving "meds" and speaking endlessly to a therapist? It was as ridiculous as it was impossible, so, Marius would suffer through his only option: he would attempt to channel his son's sickness to benefit the Guild. Perhaps it was a dangerous and short-sighted plan, but Marius saw no other option. Marius would occasionally, and anxiously look up to the window of his study. There, he knew his son was preparing for tonight's challenge and he prayed one way, or another, he, his daughter, and the Assassins would thrive.

Upstairs, inside the Assassin's sprawling Civil War-era plantation home, the sweet strings of Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Winter, could be heard. The sweet music could be followed to the study. The study was a beautiful old room inspired by both, the strongwood of a budding new America and the French-inspired ornate detail of the Parisian upper class. Here, Julien sharpened a long ancient blade to a surgical-sharpness, he allowed the beautiful music to surround him, his heavy black boots would sink softly down into the plush deep-crimson carpet that always made him think of pooling blood. He held the heavy, mirror-reflective blade up, closely to his face to inspect it; he grinned at the thought of how easily it would pierce the LeBeau son's heart. Blood Trials were not mandatory death challenges, however they would often end in death. Not that he would. Stabbing the mutant-boy's heart would end his life quickly, and that would be an incredible waste. He had every intention of wounding him enough to win, but he had all the intensions of keeping the boy alive. And he would enjoy the spoils of his victory immensely. Julien would close his eyes and envision, in great detail, how he would then celebrate his victory:

He would claim the wounded mutant-Thief for himself, as if he were some prized hunted animal. Julien demanded ownership over his prey, as any hunter would. He could not imagine anyone stopping him, as he brought the unconscious boy to their wine-cellar. It was a small concrete room with the thick walls, that were ideal for suspending the boy by the wrists with rope. Julien took advantage of a square wooden hatch-door built into the center of the concrete cellar floor, and tied the boy's ankles to it's corners to force his legs sightly apart. The inside of his mouth would be packed with fine, white Egyptian cotton; he would not want to hear the boys screaming just yet. The blood from the fight had only begin to drip from the boys cuts and open bruises. He would make a beautiful sight: a slender, tan physique, strip down to only a thin pair of shorts, he was a bit pubescent for Julien's taste, but the way the blood would streak his flesh would be poetry. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl into an unsettling grin at the thought of kneeling down and pressing his face to the suspended boy's bare stomach. He would rub his cheek against him, and savor the skin of his cheek against the boy's abdomen. He would do this until the boy woke, and realized where he was, now is when he began to panic. How Julien would enjoy the frantic raise and fall of the mutant-boy's belly against his face! He could hear it now: the hyperventilation giving way to frightened-frustrated tears, and muffled wailing from behind the Egyptian cotton. Juilen would stand and watch him twist and fight against his ropes; he would work himself into a panicked frenzy, until his smooth elegant body formed clear-crystaline beads of sweat. As he always did, Julien forced himself to take his time, otherwise he would climax too soon. The moments would feel like hours before Julien would impatiently start tearing off his own clothing, until he was nude from the waist up; his erection growing. He would step behind the boy, pressing his chest against his bare wet back. Of course, the boy would twist and writhe, possibly terrified at the thought of some impending rape, but that was far too common of a vulgarity to interest Julien; he required something far more unique. Julien would firmly press himself against the warm boy, gliding his hand cross his tight chest and clenching stomach. The boy would, naturally, fight all the more wildly as he began to realize Julien's prominent erection pressing into the small of his back. By this point, Julien could not restrain his aroused gasping, and breathing heavily in anticipation, he would eagerly, but steadily, select the scalpel he would use to penetrate the mutant, he would begin to cut just underneath his rib cage . The scalpel was so thin, and so sharp that the mutant would only realize he was being cut open when he saw Julien holding the handle of a surgical blade, this is where the boy would faint; this is where they would always faint. Carefully, Julien would begin to cut deep, and then deeper still. He would masterfully avoid any major arteries, he would artfully slice the boy in a way that a world-class surgeon would. He would then, quickly, lovingly, cut away his internal oblique and transverse muscles, until he cautiously opened his abdominal cavity to expose the satiny-slick internal organs inside. He would have to be fast; death could come at any moment in the hands of a less experienced sadist. He would then pull taught the skin of his belly to the sides of his waist. How unnatural was it, Julien wondered, to feel the skin of your stomach against your hips? Julien had always wanted to ask, but he doubted he would ever have an answer. Swiftly, he would wrap the boy's waist in clear-plastic to keep the boy alive and prevent the viscera from spilling to the cellar floor. Again, Julien would drop to his knees and press his face to the boy's exposed abdomen; feeling this new warmer, softer-wet texture, only a thin layer of plastic between his shaven face and the mutant-boy's small intestine and transverse colon; his erection throbbed. From this point, the boy would periodically wake; lulling between unconsciousness and agonizingly entranced-awareness. It would be just the beginning; over the course of hour, maybe more, Julien would removed the cloth from the boy's mouth and he would listen to the most marvelous guttural and pathetic of sounds abrupt from the dying boy's throat. Julien would use all of his depraved skill to keep the boy in a state of un-death. And all the while, as the boy slowly died, Julien would experience undeniable peace among the degradation; the tranquility in his eyes created tears of relief, as he felt the life in hands fighting for survival. And in between satiating his thirst for fine wine, he would continue to cut away at him. Until he was prepared for the second phase of his ritual; he would use a bone-saw to cut the sternum in two perfect halves next. He would never cut the sternum deeply enough so that it would cut all the way through, he would always leave the thinnest bridge behind, so the rib cage stayed together, just enough to withstand the force of his boning hooks. Using his impressive strength, he would press the two hooks with handles into both sides of the cut sternum, the boy would make the most fantastic groan as the metal hooks entered his chest. His misery made a music that nearly caused Julien to climax, but he made himself wait. He had to make sure the his _boning hooks_ were securely digging into each respective side of the Thief's rib cage; he would then tightly grip the two handles and, grotesquely, he would wretch the boy's rib-cage apart in two symmetrical halves. The tearing of ligaments, snapping of the ribs and peeling away of membrane, sounded as sweet as Vivaldi's strings. This is where the boy would quickly die, they would all usually die before this, but he imagined the boy would impress him, being so young and strong. He would revel in seeing the boy's onyx-black spheres roll back into his head. Poetry, pure beauty as he pulled the boy's ribs open to expose his thoracic cavity. The strong young heart would pulsate weakly as it became exposed to the open air; Julien, whom had been erect for the duration of the boy's torment, would place his hands into the exposed cavity, and gently grope his heart to feel its last feeble pulsations, each soft, slowing tremor would push Julien's limits of depraved lust and the boy was so beautiful, that he would no longer hold back his forceful ejaculation." Yes! My God! Yes!" Julien would groan and with one hand he would grab the back of the boy's head and with a fist-full of the dead boy's hair, he would press the boy's lifeless face into his muscular shoulder and with the other hand he would grip the, now still, heart. After his climax, he would slowly release the limp body, his own chest sticky with blood and edema. In this moment, he would know peace like no other, he let the serenity wash over him and thoughtfully he grinned to himself; he would even playfully finger the slick rippled surface of the dead mutant's exposed trachea. He would then remove the rest of his soiled clothing and he would complete the rest of his ritual joyfully, nude, and happy. He would cut long lenghts of the strongest cat-gut violin cord and string up the corners of his swinging rib-cage to give the appearance of front wings, a "blood eagle" as it was called. And as a sickening finale, an act he would only reserve for Thieves: he would slice down the boy's back, as a butcher would cut a piece of meat, he would start at the hanging corpse's nape and down the boy's back, he would cut deeply into his trapezius muscle, using his spine as guide, he would precisely cut-away the skin and muscle from his spine and rip away the flesh from his posterior ribs; he would pull back the long, expertly cut, strips of flesh. Again, with the strong cat-gut and long needle, he would thread several points of each fleshy strip; pulling the wet-rubbery strips taught, and he would fasten each one to the sides of the small room, he would make the most-elegant of dripping wings. The mutant-boy would be a master piece, so beautiful in its perfection, that he would paint the mutilated angel in expensive oil paint. That way, he would have a vision of his crippled play-thing forever. His perfectly horrific fantasy would be abruptly interrupted by the sound of his sister entering the room.

~*~"You cannot do this! Julien please! If you love me, brother, you won't fight him! Please!"~*~ Belle was screaming in panicked hysteria. Still in her wedding dress, she ran directly from the church to her home. She followed the classical music her brother loved, to her father's study and threw open the wooden doors. She denied much of what her brother was, but deep down she was not so ignorant to think that Julien was incapable of violence. However, she allowed herself to remain blind to her brother's evils because, quite frankly, she loved him and he rarely became upset around her, she never saw what he was truly capable of. This was mostly due to the diligent interference of her father. Under their father's watchful eye, Julien was only kind, even sweet with her. At times he was distant and he would go missing, and any time he would become upset he would walk away from her. Of all the people in Julien's life, Belle was the one person Julien had made immaculate, and he demanded she remained so.

~*~" Sister, you look lovely."~*~ Julien said in a distracted way, his eyes barely deviated from the blade he was sharpening.

~*~" Julien, Remy is a good person! A Thief, yes, but a good enough man that he would agree to join our families for peace! He loves me!"~*~ Belle lamented. This was all her doing, and if Remy died because of her, she would kill herself out of guilt. And if Remy killed her only brother then she did not know if she could ever look at Remy the same way again; despite what others whispered about her brother, she loved him. The only possible chance of her sanity surviving was if she could stop this from happening. She would certainly go mad if she lost her brother and she would die if she lost her best friend, and now, husband.

~*~"After you seen what he was Donna? You cannot marry this monster."~*~ Julien replied calmly. He tested his blade on a piece of hair, the hair split in two the moment it was met with the incredible sharpness of the blade. Belle's eyes widened in terror as she watched the deadly blade demonstrate how easily it would cut.

~*~" I am already married, and he's not a monster!"~*~ Belle said holding up her wedding ring. She had made a horrible mistake. She should have known that her brother had been following her that one night when Remy's powers emerged. She should have told Remy that she would see him in the morning, when she knew where Julien was. It was stupid to meet at night, when she knew Julien was haunting the house, but Remy sounded so distraught she couldn't help but agree to meet him. She should have known Julien would follow her, and now, because of her carelessness, her one mistake in an otherwise perfectly hidden relationship, Remy was in danger.

~*~" He is dangerous, and must be handled before he can damage you or the family."~*~ Julien, now looking at his sister's doll-like face, stood and turned to leave. He had never mentioned the incident where Belle had left in the middle of the night to meet the mutant-Thief, perhaps if he had spoken up sooner they would not in this this situation. He did not regret it, however, because he never really looked at the boy until today; he was a beautiful specimen. He wanted the LeBeau-son, he wanted him like no other prey before; the desire was painful. He also enjoyed saving his precious sister before the boy could spoil her.

~*~" Please, brother, he's my best friend! And I know it was wrong, but he would never hurt me!"~*~ Belle begged, dropping to her knees, she gripped his legs to stop him from leaving and continued her desperate plea. ~*~" We did it for peace! For you too, we have lost so many! I love you and cannot bare you dead, I would not survive if I lost either of you! PLEASE!"~*~ Belle's eyes began to stream tears. Julien's face remained serious and unmoved as he pulled his sister off her knees. The intense stare that disturbed Belle, began to drape over her brothers eyes. Normally whenever her brother looked like this he would walk off, and he would then return later as the brother she recognized, but this time he continued to stare into her eyes as he spoke.

~*~" No boy deserves you, and certainly no monster, and no Thief. The LeBeau-son is all of these things. I see how you tried for peace, and it was naive. You need me to protect you, only me-"~*~ Julien's eyes took on a almost a crazed-dead eyed stare. He gripped his sister's shoulders tightly. Fright began to seep into Belle's heart, she had seen insanity in his eyes before, and she knew when Julien was this way, he was beyond any reason.

~*~"No-!~*~ Belle said desperately.

~*~" To save you! Father will not! He has fail you! He would just as quickly serve you up to a monster! And not just you sister, but all of us! I will keep you close and protect you!~*~ Julien's eyes remained crazed, and his voice gave way to passionate anger. He began to grip her shoulders so tightly that he pulled her off her feet, still in her pure white wedding gown, she could barely touch the tips of her toes to the plush crimson carpet beneath her feet.

~*~" NO! Julien please-!~*~ Belle's useless cry was interrupted by Julien's passionate kiss. Belle struggled helplessly under his strength, she tried to scream through this insanity. She continued to cry, now for an entirely different reason: her brother was sick, so terribly ill and she had realized it far too late to help him. Any denial that she used to ignore her brother's mental illness was now being shattered, as she was forced to participate in his deranged and frightening act of bizarre-affection. He continued to kiss her deeply, removing all trace of the Thief-monster's kiss and leaving only his own. He felt justified, this was always his purpose. Julien was a classic narcissist and in his mind he knew he was the only man that could look after her and the Assassins Guild . When he was satisfied, he slowly pulled away; still with the same transfixed and determined stare. Belle's head fell forward in shame.

~*~" I will not fail the Assassins or you, like father did. This is a problem best handled by me. You will be happy, my sister."~*~ Julien said. He released Belle and she immediately dropped to her knees, traumatized and totally bewildered. She sank to the floor and sobbed against the expensive rug. This had turned out all wrong, this was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted to be married in order to save the families, to save lives, and now it could potentially cost her two people she loved most in this world. Remy was right, she should have never attempted such a risk; how could she be so blind? Julien took his blade and locked the door of the study behind him, locking his sister inside for her own good.

He made his was down to the courtyard, where on one side was the Thieves Guild were waiting and uncharacteristically, they were quiet and patient. On the other side, was his entire family; the Assassins quietly chattered among each other as they watched Julien's eyes fall on Marius; the hatred was obvious. Julien hated the Thieves Guild as much as any of the Assassins, but now he considered his father a traitor for allowing the marriage. He was outraged that his father would even consider giving consented to marrying off their Belle without discussing it with him was bad enough, but to sacrifice her to a mutant-Thief was unforgivable. It made no matter that the marriage was an attempt to join the families in peace. Julien felt betrayed, his father had sent him out to New Orleans as a type of distraction while they planned and held the wedding. Marius would allow his son to indulge in his brutal and sadistic hobbies while the marriage took place, and by the time Julien would have gotten back everything would already be set in motion. The two families would be joint and Julien would not be able to stop it once both families overruled him. However, no such luck. Little did Marius know, that John-Luc had paid a young man to go to New Orleans and track down Julien. The young man found him easy enough, and told him of the wedding. Julien would then not only kill the messenger, he eviscerated him, he then quickly set off back to his family church. However, he was too late to stop the wedding; it had just concluded before he rushed into the church to save his sister from this travesty. Once Julien outed the mutant boy to both families, Marius became enraged. Marius accepting a Thief-son as a son-in-law was a bitter pill to swallow, but upon revealing the boy was also a mutant, that was a real sin, a sin worthy of a challenge-able offense. He demanded satisfaction and immediate annulment of the marriage. However, the only way out of this traditional-Guild marriage would have been to challenge the Thieves in the proper traditional way: In the presence of both families, a member of each Guild was to fight each other until one was unable to stand, death was not uncommon and even preferred. The only weapons that were to be present, had to be held by the two challengers and could only be a type of blade. Julien would take the challenge before another word could be said, and Jean-Luc had taken the liberty to agree for his son that he would face off against Julien.

~*~" F-father I cannot do this! He's going to kill me!"~*~ Remy trembled all over, as he clutched his three-hundred year old weapon, and he watched, in terror, as Julien came down the stairs with his 60 pound razor-sharp saber. Remy's sword was a strong standard steel blade with a simple handle; it looked like a toy compared to Julien's steel and iron blade, that could just as easily crush him, as it could split him in half. He worked intensely to keep the bourbon his father had given him earlier, from raising to his throat. Remy had been terrified of Julien from the time he was very young; he would have done anything to avoid this fight. Julien was bigger and older than he was, needless to say he was stronger and his only advantage would have been his mutant abilities, however, he was not allowed to use his new powers. If he did, the Assassins would kill him, his father, as well as the rest of his family. If he was noticed in violating the rules it would certainly be the end for him, but he needed to use his powers if he wanted to survive; but thankfully his father had taken care of that too.

~*~"Remy, you listen here! You do as I say, and you will be fine. You trust me, no?"~*~ Jean-Luc said firmly. He was aware that the Boudreaux-son was carrying a weapon that was more then half the weight of his boy, but everything was going according to plan. From the moment Jean-Luc was approached by a Guild envoy about the wedding proposition, he had seen the opportunity. This was too good of a chance to pass up for Jean-Luc: The Assassins, in their entirety, were all gathered in one place and no weapons to speak of. And once he realize the power of his son's mutation, that sealed the deal. The laws were very clear for any formal challenge: absolutely no weapons were to be held by anyone, except the two challengers. After agreeing to the marriage, he knew it was a perfect chance to out his son's mutation for the sake of using Marius' manic son to incite a challenge. Every single Assassin member following the no-weapon rule, offered the perfect opportunity to take the Assassins by force. By following all laws and rules in their entirety, from the wedding acceptance to now, the Boudreaux's believed that both families had the same goal; and by Jean-Luc putting up his beloved son's life, they had no reason to believe that the Thieves were anything but law-biding. After all, the Thieves Guild had just as much to lose as they did. And though the Thieves were seen as the more untrustworthy of the Guilds, something like not mentioning that the LeBeau-son was a mutant, was thought to be the worst they were capable of. Thieves and Assassins were both relatively consistent in following the laws and would participate in the same 'acceptable' violence and killing that had always went on. This was the first formal challenge in nearly one-hundred years and both families had behaved accordingly; strangely the Thieves were exceptionally well-behaved.

~*~" ...Yes, I-I do but-"~*~ Remy did not notice his well-mannered family members, as he continued to wring the handle of his poison-dipped sword.

~*~" Do not think about it, what did I say? Tell me."~*~ Time was counting down and Jean-Luc needed to prepare his son quickly. The fight would commence at sunset and it was nearly time. Remy felt like a small child again, his father asking him to repeat what he had told him was something he had done ever since Jean-Luc began to teach his boy the ways of the world.

~*~" He-he...he will come at me once...to scare me and then he will let me think I have the upper hand..."~*~ Remy struggled, he thought of Belle briefly through his fear. Where was she? And if he lost the challege would Julien kill her? It was a horrifying thought, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the severity of his own situation. He didn't know if he could prevent himself from using his powers, every fiber of his being wanted to grab anything he could get his hands on and blow it apart with enough force to send Julien back to whatever nightmare he came out of.

~*~"And?"~*~ Jean-Luc gripped his son's shoulder, and how he wished he could hug him, but during a formal challenge it would be improper, and a sign of weakness. He knew his son had what it took to bring down the real monster. He just needed to push down his fear and trust him, Jean-Luc had this all in the palm of his hand. The poison on Remy's blade was incredibly potent, as long as Remy charged his blade within moments of slicing his opponent, the slightest cut would kill a man Juilen's size in seconds.

~*~"That is when I cut him.~*~ Remy said, trying his best to sound confident. Fear would disable him, Remy needed to find something in him that would take down Julien, even if it wasn't a kinetic blast. His father seemed so sure of himself, he needed to figure out something. Remy could fight a bit and he did seem to be getting better, ever since his powers emerged, he seemed to be getting faster and more agile. There were days he felt like he could put the best parkour and free runners to shame, but he was always afraid to try, he couldn't be so cocky to think that he could be as athletic, he remained fearfully cautious. As Remy grew and developed, so where his powers; as his body matured and changed, so did his mutation. And now, the heightened stress of the situation was causing his powers to have some unforeseen "growing pains". It was the most intense and strangest of feelings, in a moment that was already intense, he felt like a dam ready to burs. Under all of the tension he held within him, he felt ready to break open in a fantastic title wave of pressure and force. He didn't dare allow himself to become weak to the feeling. And since he knew that his hands could charge and blow things apart, he wouldn't allow himself to falter, he had no idea what this new feeling was or what his body was capable of.

~*~" It will be your _only_ chance! Make it good!"~*~ Jean-Luc demanded in his son's ear, several members that stood next to Jean-Luc, shared varying degrees of looks. Some were warning Remy to not screw this up, and others were motivating and wished him luck. The only thing Remy needed to do was cut Juilen and stay alive.

~*~"What if he misses, Jean-Luc?"~*~ A Thief member asked. He appreciated the faith Jean-Luc had in his son, but this was serious. They had great plans for tonight and they could not be dismantled by the boy not doing his part. He chose to speak up because the boys trembling hands were causing some of the members to lose faith.

~*~" Shut up, you damn fool! ~*~ Jean-Luc sneered, he would not even entertain the idea of failure. ~*~You'll be fine, just remember what I told you.~*~ Jean-Luc assured his son. He then forced him to grasp the handle of his sword as hard as he could. He had shown his son how to use it, and today they would see how well he had learned. Remy had the beginnings of incredible fencer, and now would be the time to test his metal. It would be his only other option, because in order to effectively grasp something and change its kinetic energy into explosive energy, it would take a visible lit charge for all to see. His father had advised him to only charge the blade enough to make it warm, it would effectively activate the deadly poison. Jean-Luc demanded that Remy not allow the glow of his kinetic charge to show, if it did, he would surely be rushed and the Thieves would be done. To expect such control from a new mutant, whom was getting used to his brand new powers, was unrealistic but Jean-Luc did not realize this. Remy had no other option then to fight this one-sided battle, or he would surely die. Remy thought of Belle again, what would happen to her if he did die? There would be no one to look after her, no one that had her real best interests in mind. Perhaps her father, but if Julien survived he would definitely kill Marius for consenting to the marriage and attempting to hide the wedding from him.

~*~"R-right."~*~ Remy said. He wanted to tell his father about the, almost hot, pressurizing force threatening every fiber of his body, but he knew his father would just say it was fear and he should rid himself of it. And fear was an easy thing to come by with Juilen looking him over like a venomous copperhead. Remy was becoming distracted with fear as Julien locked eyes with him, it almost felt like he had the ability to stop his heart when Julien stared at him that way. And just as unnerving, he could make his blood run cold with fear when Julien began to smile! He had never seen him smile before, and such a smile, excited and hungry, not a glimmer of worry or fear, it was almost a twisted sort of lust. It commanded Remy to break into a sweat. Jean-Luc grab his boy's arm and forced him to stop looking an the Boudreaux-son, whom was putting no effort into scaring the boy pale.

~*~"Right nothing! What are you missing?!"~*~ Jean-Luc grabbed his son's arm tightly and forced him to look him the the eye. ~*~"You charge the blade _before_ you cut! Don't let it glow! Or else you are done! Understand me?!"~*~ Jean-Luc whispered seriously, he wanted to shake him violently, but it would be unappropriated to do so. ~*~" Answer me dammit!"~*~ Jean-Luc had knowingly sent the young messenger that alerted Julien to his death, but they would lose no else.

"Ah-Ah will. Ah will...Before Ah cut..." Remy said, that strange feeling came over him, and again, it was that raging intensity that he forced himself to dam-up within his body, but now it was transforming into a sort of electric tingle. He felt it most often in his hands when he attempted to 'charge' something, this strange intensity was the same feeling he would get just before he would explode something. It started in his neck and then it cloaked over his chest, at first he thought he wasn't well, but it didn't feel like sickness or even weakness. This sensation was something different entirely. It seemed as though it were something to add to his fear and anxiety, but for some reason it came as a sort of power, almost reassurance.

~*~" Damn right you will! I am not losing you to that mental patient! Are you hearing me, son?!"~*~ This strange look on his son was scaring Jean-Luc. Though he could not appear concerned for his son, and he could not acknowledge the odd expression on Remy's face, he could not hide the fear in his voice.

~*~" Yes, Father...yes."~*~ This was the first time Remy had ever heard his father scared. Remy had always thought if he had ever seen his father scared, that it would terrify him. In fact, it had the opposite effect. The uncertainty and fear that he heard in his father's voice seemed to jar something loose. He almost became oddly serene, almost as though he didn't care about his situation, or this fight. Remy could see it in Julien's face, he was very subtly taken aback by the renewed look on the LeBeau-son's face. It would not make any difference Julien would attack his prey the way he did all the rest.

~*~" This isn't just about you, its about the family. And you really think that "wife" of yours will survive another sundown if that manic wins?!"~*~ Jean-Luc added. Jean-Luc added that last part because he understood that his son held some sort of affection for the girl, and Remy needed all the motivation that could be throw at him. It didn't occur to him that his son was no longer listening. It was moments before sundown, and a man then stepped in the middle of the courtyard, the man was named Gris-Gris. He was not an official Assassin member. Gris-Gris acted as a nonpartisan between the families, usually, but he was often seen as the Assassin's resident Voodoo priest, or so he liked to think.

"De challenge will be done wit' blades! As it always has been done. Have de Glides chosen they opponents?" Gris-Gris asked, eyeing the two sides of the courtyard through his thick long dreadlocks.

"We have!" Marius stated. Jean-Luc nodded at Gris-Gris in acknowledgement. The sun began to slip down below the horizon, quickly blackening the water of the bayou, vulnerable light dimmed everywhere.

"Fo' de Assassins, fo' whom de offense was committed against?" Gris-Gris called out, pointing his ringed fingers to the Assassin's side. Shadows begin to scatter, overwhelming corners; the darkness, itself, seemed like it was in a hurry to not miss the challenge.

"My eldest, n' only son, Julien Boudreaux!" Marius called out. Julien then stepped forward and faced the rival family. He was eager to win this quickly, and even more eager to celebrate.

" N' what Thief will be defendin' dem'selves against de eldest Bordeaux son?" Gris-Gris asked.

~*~"My youngest son, Remy Etienne LeBeau!"~*~ Jean-Luc announced. Julien had never seen the boy this close before, he had the most intriguing eyes; he very much wished to acquire them. This close, he could now see that the LeBeau-boy was also much more beautiful of a specimen then he had originally thought. He immediately craved to have him. Julien was sure that he would be all the more breathtaking with his chest cut open and his ribs snapped back. He had never played with a mutant before and very much looked forward to it. Once he had had his time with the LeBeau-mutant, he would move on to his own father. His father allowed the monster to have their Belle, and, for that, he could not allow his father to live. It would not be the same kind of death he would bring to the LeBeau-son, it would be quick and discreet; he always felt that he would run the Assassins Guild better than anyone else.

~*~" I see so much as a spark come out of your mutant, you forfeit a whole hell of a lot more than your boy, LeBeau!"~*~ Marius threatened Jean-Luc as they stepped away from their sons.

~*~"Remy knows better. And Guild law says they use swords, so they will use swords and nothing else."~*~ Jean-Luc said, firmly, he could not smile, despite his superior plan. He was terrified, as only a father could be terrified when he saw his child in mortal danger. Jean-Luc forced himself to remain calm, he had prepared Remy's blade with a specific type of poison, incredibly deadly, but only harmful when the mixture was heated by any sort of friction. Remy would barely need to charge the blade with his kinetic energy, in order to get the compound active; it was his only chance for survival. He knew Julien was a much stronger fighter, he had a good fifty pounds on Remy, and was almost a foot taller. For that reason, John-Luc kept one hand over the dagger hidden in his coat. He would rather break every Guild law, and spit in Kendra's all-powerful face then lose his son. This was clearly a one-sided fight, but the Thieves didn't seem as concerned they should have been. By all rights they should have been cheering Remy on, or at least asking for a different member to take Remy's place. Some of them did not approve of their mutant member, but they knew that this played a role in Guild government and they would all suffer the consequences if Remy lost.

Belle watched from the second floor study windows and screamed in desperation as her new husband was forced to fight her only brother to the death.

"Daddy! DADDY!" Belle screamed, slamming her hands against the window glass. Her father couldn't hear her, and he was fair too distracted to notice anything but the situation in front of him. There would be no happy outcome in this for her, unless the fight were stopped in some way, if only the fight was cancelled, or even delayed. She ran to the study doors and pulled their metal handles until she was exhausted. Locked in, and forced to play as helpless audience. Tonight, she would lose either her older brother, her only sibling, or her best friend, her husband, or even more horrifying, both. The frustration was painful. She screamed, and raged, and cried within that large oak room. She ran from the windows to the doors, like a rat in a cage, she desperately looked for a way out. She furiously pounded her fists against the walls and cleared shelves of all of their books, she broke anything she could to get attention. The closer sunset came, the more she tore the room apart, until finally the room was dark. The sun was completely set, she fell to her knees, it was useless, no one could hear her and no one was in the house; everyone was in the courtyard, everyone was in attendance to the deadly challenge, and unfortunately, so was she.

In the courtyard, Julien wasted no time, the moment the sunlight disappeared, he made his attack. With fantastic speed, he raised his blade and came at the boy, in less then a blink, Julien was inches from Remy's face and their blades were locked. Jean-Luc held his breath, but as he had predicted, Julien came down on Remy, but he held his ground, and with all his strength he blocked Julien's 60 pound sword with his. The blades slamming together made a ringing clatter in both of their ears. Remy was successful at blocking the blade, but Julien pressed his down on the young Thief and forced Remy down to one knee. Just as Remy's elbows began to buckle, Julien crossed a fist and punched him in the jaw, which sent Remy straight onto his back. Remy couldn't believe how hard Julien hit! It was stronger than anything his brother had ever done to him, he saw stars for a moment. It was enough time for Julien to raise his blade over the boy's head. This was almost too easy for Julien, he wanted to see what the boy was capable of, before, literally, seeing what he was made of.

"Move, Remy! Move!" Jean-Luc said to himself, in terrified whisper. As though Remy could actually hear his father's words, he reacted just as Julien's blade came down over his head and rolled away just before the heavy blade came down, cracking the courtyard floor. Remy quickly sprang to his feet, he could tell that Julien was purposely slowing down. This what was his father had told him would happen, this was his moment, his only chance to charge the blade and cut Juilen. Remy made his attempt to charge the blade but, if he were to open his fist he knew he would see a very prominent glowing light, there was no chance of him extending the charge to his blade without it visibly glowing. He could not do what his father had instructed him to. Remy's chance to attack Julien came in the form of Julien, almost slowly, turning his back, in order to give himself enough force to lift his heavy blade again; he came at Remy once more. Remy could have easily cut Juilen across the back. Remy's chance came and went. John-Luc's heart dropped into his stomach. The Thief members at Jean-Luc side, nearly held him in place, the terrified father could have easily jumped into the fight after his son, but the other Thief members would not allow him to do so. They were already strategically putting themselves into their places as the fight reached a fever pitch.

~*~"Think! Think! Think! Think!"~*~ Remy told himself, he struggled to keep calm, so far, he was able to avoid Julien's more aggressive attacks, but this fight was far from over. His father's plan of using his mutant power to make his blade a poisonous weapon, was now, not an option. Julien took another heavy swing that could have easily loped Remy's head off. Julien made sure to have the broadside of his weapon out, he meant only to knock the boy into a concussion. The boy surprised him, he was able evade him better than he thought, but he was unwilling to wait for his prize any longer and the wine cellar awaited them.

The Thieves begin moving into place everywhere on Assassins property. As Jean-Luc had instructed them, their most skilled members selected their targets; making sure to kill the Assassins most skilled and strongest members first. Hidden Thieves were encircling the front of the home and cutting off all means of escape. Meanwhile, all Assassin eyes were transfixed on the fight in front of them, they could tell that Julien was moving in for the kill, how he would do it was still a mystery. All the Assassin's focus remained glued on the young Thief fighting for his life. Remy at some point, felt he had hit some sort of stride, he was oddly comfortable, and he was eluding and bounding out of every attack that Julien could throw at him. He may have been stronger, but Remy was moving unbelievably faster then anyone had ever seen. Remy was moving with, sudden, incredible swiftness; it was similar to that of an Olympic gymnast and he could easily pass underneath Julien's arms or even under his leg, if he was able to get low enough. This fight was causing Remy's mutation to adapt and change before everyone's eyes, but no one, not even Remy, would realize it. That same electric force Remy continued to fight back, was now slowly seeping into Remy's joints and muscles, making him exceptionally agile and impressively flexible.

~*~"Fight him! Stop jumping around and fight! Damn mutie-coward!"~*~ An Assassin called out, he could not believe how the boy moved. It was like watching and a caffeinated jack-rabbit whip and jump to avoid being eaten.

"Kill it, Juilen!" An Assassin-member called out, he saw the look in the Thief's eyes, his garnet pupils almost lit up in a fiery glow. It was proof enough that the young Thief was a real-life monster.

~*~" Kill him, Juilen! Send it back to hell!"~*~ Another Assassin demanded. Marius watched intently. He was ready to attack Jean-Luc if he saw the boy attempt to use his powers. There was a moment where Julien nearly grabbed the boy by the neck to gain upper hand, but, remarkably, the boy dropped down and out of the way, he then hand-sprung with such force that he flipped over Juilen's shoulder, landing solidly behind him. That move was the only one that the focused Thieves cheered.

~*~"Jean-Luc, it's almost time. Uncle?"~*~ A Thief member, Benoît Chantôme-LeBeau, Remy's older cousin, whispered in Jean-Luc's ear, but as the Thief warned his uncle, dozens of Thief-members were scaling the walls of the Assassins home, they were positioning themselves on the roof. They were hiding in the trees, in the woods and bayou waterways. They were successfully blocking any possible escape, which wasn't terribly difficult, the was property was extremely land locked. The almost island-sort of property was easy to defend, but also, unfortunately for the Assassins, easy to surround. Jean-Luc began to regret his decision, seeing his child in the hands of a monster that would administer a fate worse than death, was sobering. The two things Jean-Luc loved most in this world were being a Thief and being a father; rarely did the worlds collide, but now that they had, it was more terrifying then Jean-Luc ever thought he could imagine.

" Uncle!" Benoît urged him to prepare, but Jean-Luc's eyes were glued on his son, and his hand prepared to draw his hidden dagger. Juilen was slowly losing his patience, he was clearly trying to end this as soon as possible. Julien grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt, and pulled his sword back with the intent on wounding him and ending this. Some how, Remy fluidly slipped out of his shirt and under Julien's arm. Remy nearly lost his sword in his sleeve as he, once again, eluded Julien. Remy was so quick that he was even able to slice Julien in the side. Remy's sword cut him, but it was superficial, it did little damage, all it succeeded in doing was angering Julien; he didn't take this assault lightly. Julien called out in surprise, he was enraged, the boy was slippery, but still frightened and weaker. He came at Remy once more and slapped his blade with such force, he succeeded in whipping the blade out of Remy's hands. Julien then slammed his forehead against Remy's, knocking him on his back. Julien would not give the boy a chance to squirm away this time; Julien plunged his heavy sword into Remy's deltoid muscle, pinning him to the ground beneath him. This is where Julien would end this, he would knock the boy out with his heavy blade and he would finally have control of the Guild and his prize.

"UGH!" Remy screamed. All at once Julien was on top of him, practically sitting on his bare stomach. Once he had a firm grasp of Remy's neck he pulled the blade from Remy's shoulder, which caused Remy to scream a second time. Julien was finished with this fight, he prepared to hit him on the side of the head with the side of his heavy blade, it would render him unconscious and unable to continue the fight. The hungry look in in Juilen's eyes said everything, and Remy decided at that moment he would not die here. That dammed-up force within him, the force that Remy had been holding back, the same thing that Remy perceived as a tidal wave of power began to flood down from his shoulders to his feet and even into each individual toe. This was Remy's mutation, the same way that a boxer's body would use muscle memory and instinct to protect themselves, Remy's mutation was quickly adapting to protect him. The restrain Remy had been using to contain this unbridled force that was crumbing by the sight of his father's terrified eyes.

" Remy!" Jean-Luc called to his son, he could no longer hold himself together and slid his concealed dagger directly to this son's hand. In a fraction of a second, Remy grabbed it, charged the blade and plunged it into Julien's neck. Everything for the exception of Remy's own heartbeat fell into a deafening hum. With his father's life in the balance, as well as the rest of his family, Remy found that part of himself, that dark violent place, and he thrust the blade into Julien's neck . The shocking and unbelievable sight dumbfounded the large group of men, the only thing that pierced the air of the awestruck crowd was Belle's ear-tearing scream. Remy didn't even feel like he was a part of this, he felt like he was watching a movie. Julien released Remy and stood up, rather quickly for a man with a dagger through his neck, and took a step back. The look on Julien's face was pure shock, he couldn't believe, or understand, what had just happened to him. He dropped his blade and gently touched the handle of the glowing dagger in his neck, he seemed as though he was trying to comprehend it, trying to understand what it was. The dagger lodged into his neck prevented him from bleeding out instantaneously, if removed, it would have taken only moments for him to bleed to death. He took two more staggering steps back before fully realizing what this moment was: it was his death. And it had come to him in the most unlikely of ways: a boy, a scrawny, terrified boy. Before Julien could attempt to pull the dagger from his neck, he looked up to the study window. And there he saw his sister, her doll-like face became twisted by the same realization of what her brother had just come to understand.

~*~"Bother!?"~*~ Belle said in a horrified whisper.~*~ "BROTHER! NO! NO!"~*~ Belle screamed, as she slammed her palms against the windows. She watched her brother looked up at her with concern in his eyes. Belle understood immediately, the concern wasn't for himself, it was for her. His eyes begged her for forgiveness, he had failed her. "JULIEN! JULIEN!" Belle cried out in agony, and slammed her hands against the glass, so fervently, that it began to crack. She continued to scream her brother's name as she watched his eyes rolled back into his head. She then saw the horrible glowing dagger in his neck and looked to Remy, whom was laying at her brother's feet. "REMY, DON'T! PLEASE!". Belle screamed, begging, as she bruised her arms, wrists, and hands against the spider webbing cracks of glass. With the crowd of men aghast in silence, Remy could hear his best friend screaming from above. His best friend, his wife, was pleading with him, because she knew that look in his eyes. Remy felt himself falling deeper and deeper into an area of his mind where the death and violence were a little more okay; where he was bred to understand that violence was just a part of him, it was his heritage, it was his right. And at that moment, as Julien staggered in front of him, unable to continue his fight, and the pressure of the glowing blade stopping him from bleeding out, Remy made his decision. ~*~"REMY! REMY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T!"~*~ Belle's terrible screech made no difference, Remy had already made his decision years ago. Remy's terrified eyes went wild with hatred, he hated Juilen and he hated how afraid of him he had been all these years. Following in his birth right, he reacted in the age-old tradition of Assassin-Thief hatred and had set the blade to explode. Just as a powerful gun shot would do, the explosion blew away half of his neck, nearly decapitating him. The explosion sprayed Remy and the Assassin's behind them with blood and bits of hot flesh. The force of Remy's kinetic blast shot Julien's body to the ground, and his massive body fell on top of the young Thief.

~*~"WHAT WAS THAT!?"~*~ An Assassin member called out, Assassins' shock did not last long. A string of outraged questions and accusations followed the group of awe-stuck and horrified men.

~*~"J-Juilen...?"~*~ Marius said in an inaudible whisper, he looked down at his hands and chest, covered in his son's blood. He was afflicted with total shock, and before he had a mind to react, he was grabbed by several Thieves and stabbed in the side. He went down immediately. All at once, it was as though he were surrounded by Thief faces; it was a take over.

~*~"WHAT?!"~*~ a slew of confusion came over the group of Assassins. They had never witnessed anything like it before. Since the boy had squirmed out of his shirt he was topless, and no one saw any explosive; it left some the men temporarily baffled. Other Assassins wasted no time with confusion and went on the attack.

"DADDY! DADDY, NO!" Belle screamed in absolute pain as her heart tore in half. She voiced her pain for her father, but she was still reeling from the horrific death of her older brother. She could not begin to think about how her father looked being swallowed up by the group of Thieves Guild members. The glass she had been relentlessly pounding on, finally shattered, sharp pieces of glass fell every where. Fragments of glass, fragments of her life, fell into pieces all around her. Belle felt sympathy and understanding for her brother in a way only a good sister would. She knew that her brother was an ill man, but he did not deserve death, he needed help, he needed understanding. She understood her brother's sickness too late, she could have done something to help him. She wanted very much to jump through the window and cradle him. Julien had been right about their father, he wasn't the one who would have kept them safe. Marius did nothing to help his son. Julien wasn't the the sibling that failed; it was her! She was smart, smarter than anyone knew, she could have done something to protect him, but she chose to remain blind; just like her father. Now she would never have the chance to help him, he was sick man and Remy killed him. Her brother was gone. Remy was working through a numbing haze, he tried to comprehend what he just did. The kinetic blast was the largest he had ever tried before it rang out so loudly that he and much of the crowd was deaf for a moment. The voices around him were an inaudible mumbling, until slowly, voices became more distinct, and by then, all chaos had broken out. In one maddening moment, he had made a decision that didn't even feel like he was the one that had made it, he killed a man. He had killed a man, and even more frightening, he was happy. The real monster was dead. However, Remy's relief was short-lived. Assassin hands grabbed Remy from the ground, but as they lifted him, gun shots went off and he was quickly released. The men that had grabbed Remy fell to all sides, they had been shot by roof-top bullets.

"REMY!" Belle called down to him. The fear and terror she felt overwhelmed the confliction of caring for her brother's murderer. No matter what she would feel about Remy later, and no matter whose fault everything was, she needed her husband to live. She looked into his face among the chaos and she was relived to see that Remy's eyes were not the same wild eyes that murdered her brother, they were her best friend's. He felt relief for another brief moment when he saw that Belle was alive and safe for now.

"Get back!" Remy called up to her. Not knowing what to say, Belle pulled away from the window, but only slightly, she could not bring herself to lose sight of Remy. She did not want to risk losing him in the madness, but she became immediately concerned when a Thief-cousin grabbed his arm and began pulling him away. New fear struck her, already panicked, heart. She couldn't believe it, was he actually leaving? She couldn't believe Remy would even consider leaving without her. At the edge of the property she could hear air-boat motors. Surely Remy would break into the house, break open the door, and take her away from the danger. They vowed to be married to each other, and every day before that they promised to keep each other safe. He would never abandon her; their entire lives they were at each others side, no matter the danger. They needed each other more now than ever.

"C'MON! We got ta go!" Benoît Chantôme-LeBeau, Remy's older cousin, grabbed him by the arm and urged him away. Benoît was given a single job and very clear instructions by his Uncle. Jean-Luc ordered his nephew to collect Remy and bring him to a safe house in the city, and he would come for them when it was safe.

"But-" Remy protested.

"We gotta get gone, Remy! Now!" Benoît yelled at him. Remy looked to his cousin and then back at Belle. Briefly, he thought of going to Belle's side and taking her to the safe house with him but the moment she saw the blood shed around him he became horrified. The moment Remy's cousin raised a gun and shot an attacking Assassin right behind Remy, he could no longer stand to be there any longer; he could not deny the overwhelming feeling of fear. Not only fear of what he was witnessing but what he had become. The look on his face was his own heart breaking. He couldn't bring himself to yell anything out to his wife, as he was being pulled away. He painfully tore his eyes away from Belle's, and took off.

" REMY?!" Bell was shocked he was running away he was actually leaving her "NO, REMY! DON'T LEAVE ME! REMY, PLEASE!" Belle didn't know a broken heart could break a second time, or that it would hurt as much as the first time. She screamed her husband's name once more, but he didn't look back. Even when a hail of gun fire tore through the second floor study. Belle dropped to the ground and she covered her head, she did the best she could to protect herself as bullets tore apart the study. Everywhere bullets destroyed and splintered the study shelves, doors and furniture, until it was barely recognizable. When she managed to take quick peeks in between gunfire, she had completely lost sight of her husband; she was now abandoned. The gunfire seemed to last forever. Below, the one-sided fight raged on.

"KILL HIM!" Both sides screamed at each other. Though, most Assassins followed the no-weapon rule, a few revealed hidden weapons; those men stood to fight. Everywhere, Thieves attacked Assassins all at once, the unarmed Assassins were taken completely by surprise. They were fully invested in the drama of their fallen teammate, they did not suspect that the Thieves would attempt to break tradition by launching a full-out attack. The Thieves had been following every rule and tradition to every detail, ever since before the wedding. It was a foolish mistake on their part, as now they were being slaughtered. Breaking glass could be heard from the window up above. Belle attempted to scream out down below to stop the fight, but it was clearly useless, and every time she attempted to look out the window a stray bullet would only be within inches of her. She sank down on the glass-covered floor, she could not watch anyway, as her family and friends were being run through with blades or picked off by hidden snipers in the trees.

"KILL ALL OF THEM!" Thieves called out, any men with hidden weapons were shot by roof-top snipers. Those that ran to their boats were picked off by hidden shooters in the trees. Hidden in the high-grass were younger Thieves, whom were instructed to shoot the ankles of Assassins that escaped to the front and side lawns. They were to be left alive for the moment, so that certain Thieves could settle their personal vendettas and revenge.

~*~"Never trust a goddamn Thief!"~*~ Many Assassins repeated as they lay dying. It would be the most violent massacre in the history of Guilds, and just like after a heavy rain, blood soaked the grass and puddled in the lawn and courtyard. Men, as young as 13, lay with their throats mercilessly slit or their faces half obliterated. One Thief had taken Julien's blade and began hacking away, slicing the heads of Assassins down the middle, as they fought back or hid; they looked as if you had taken the photo of a man face and had cut it down the middle with scissors. The screaming and blood-shed would continue for less then an hour, but Belle waited for hours until she no longer heard screaming. All she could hear after another hour was men speaking, even laughing. She laid still for nearly three hours more, until she heard no voices at all, and the return of cricket chirps filled the dark house and lawns.

"Daddy?" Belle thought, for some reason she couldn't say it aloud. She didn't intend to use the darkness as a means of cover, but the moon-less night protected her from any assault by some far-ranged sniper. She did not care, however, she had hoped to be shot. She would have gladly died with her family, but death was not in the cards that night. Instead, as a good Assassin-woman would do, she gathered her mutilated brother's body and dragged him over to her father's body, so that they would lay next to each other. Belle then, painfully, pulled and pushed every single uncle, cousin, nephew, friend, every Assassin member to the sink hole at the edge of the family property. She would say a prayer for each body that she placed into the mass grave, and with every tear she would shed, she would say their names and beg for forgiveness. She begged God for mercy, and if she were to live with this guilt, then she begged to not live it alone. Imprisoned in a dark, and isolated in a house surrounded by death; She would momentarily consider suicide, but she knew she never could. God must have heard her; God must have taken pity on the little bride, and while filling in the grave of her brother and father, God gave her back her father. Marius Bordeaux barely survived, but thanks to his daughter and the Guild-law immortal Kendra, he lived.

Later, as the weeks turned into months, and the months to years, Belle's heart grew cold and deranged. As her brother had been inflicted with evil, Belle began to adopt it as she grew into a women. The love and dedication she had felt for her best friend and husband became disfigured and twisted. She became obsessed with having the marriage and companionship that she had sacrificed so much for. The crushing loneliness, burning hatred, and conflicting need for love and revenge from Remy, changed Belle from the cheerful and delicate girl she was, to a vengeful, hard woman with an obsession for her husband's love, and most importantly, his retribution. With her father's guidance, she would become the Assassin leader that would bring the Assassin Guild back to life. She was determined to have be recognized, and that she would have the control, revenge, and love, she deserved. Every night, for years, Belle would speak to the night sky; she would ask where Remy was. Was he thinking of her? When was he coming back? Even if he was alive. For a long while she thought Remy was dead. Why else wouldn't he come back for her? Her father told his daughter time and time again that he was never coming back and that a son of Jean-Luc could cared for no one but himself. She refused to believe her father, until she had devised a plan to kidnap Jean-Luc. Marius approved of his daughter's plan. Though she said it out of anger, and perhaps to spite him, he knew that something like kidnapping the all-powerful Thief leader would serve several purposes: it would show that the Thieves Guild weren't invincible, and that they could be brought down. And also, if they were successful, they would be able to lure back Assassins in hiding, as well as new members, and Belle would have her answer. She would finally know what happened to her mutant-husband.

* * *

(Months ago...)

Belle's plan had worked in every sense, after they had initially kidnapped Jean-Luc months ago, it had taken almost no time at all to flush out the Thief prince. Like a good son, he had come to the rescue of his father. Belle was shocked, so shocked in fact, that once she recognized him she was paralyzed. She couldn't confront him, she had thought he was dead, but not only was he alive, he had moved on with his life. She watched him race through the old Assassin Masion with a strange and beautiful young girl, no doubt she was a mutant like Remy. Seeing them work together and watching Remy closely she could clearly see him working with a cool, clear head and he was full of confidence. It didn't take long for Belle to come to the conclusion that after the day he had left her screaming his name, among the crowd of slaughtered Assassins, he had went out into the world and he never looked back. He had mastered his mutant powers, and honed his abilities as a thief and lived the life she had always wanted, and he had done it all without ever planning on coming back for her! Belle would study their security tapes desperately trying to catch a glimpse of her husband's face. And not once would his concern ever shift to finding his betrayed wife.

Though Belle's father was eager to take, both, Jean-Luc and his mutant son, Belle called off their reinforcements. They could have taken the Thieves and, perhaps even the mutant-girl's group of mutants, but Belle knew that they wouldn't have been able to do so without taking on serious damage. They had no idea what these mutants were capable of, and she was confident that they could regroup and kidnap Jean-Luc a second time. And the second time Belle would make sure that the stakes were higher and that she would have a chance to get back much of what she had lost.

Watching her husband say good-bye to the young girl that he had recused Jean-Luc with, was rage inducing. The girl had a group of others with her, other mutants that had come on a very military-looking black plane, Belle watched. Remy did not board the plane with the other mutants, he did not seem welcome. It didn't disturb her so much that Remy was retrieving his father with another women, that sort of thing made no difference to her, but it was when they said good-bye to each other, that broke Belle. She was around the same age as the girl was when she had married Remy, and though she had gone through dangerous lengths to help Remy, she remained coy to how much she actually cared for Remy's well-being. The sullen girl was, most certainly, attracted to him. But the way he was with her, and the way looked at her, it was the same heart-broken look that Remy had given her on the last day they had seen each other. He cared for her! He held on to her hand because it hurt to let go, it was all so obvious to Belle, she knew him too well to ignore it. The sincerity in Remy's eyes was genuine, and just before the other mutants could pull the girl away from Remy, he clutched her hand; he had given her something and he said something that echoed in Belle ears: "You be fine chère, You got people watching over you." He was clearly speaking about himself. As the girl wasn't forthcoming about her feelings, neither was he, and he didn't want to come out-right and say that he would be looking over her, but he cared for her enough to be there. Belle could clearly see it in his face, and hear it in his voice, that he truly meant to keep an eye on her. Belle could no longer follow him, shoving her men aside, she demanded that they all return to the house and pack up. It was time to move, and it was time to make much bigger plans. It was a boiling betrayal, she had trusted him, and while she was being imprisoned by Jean-Luc, Remy was free to do what ever he wanted! He could have come to get her at any time, but he turned his back on her and continued to turn his back on her every moment he didn't save her, and finally Remy would insult her deeply by living the life she had dreamt of, and the final painful blow came by him keeping his promises to this mutant-girl that would never know him the way she did.

It would only take a matter of months for Belle to devise another attack against the Thieves Guild, and this time it would be overwhelming and devastating. Marius had a majority of say over Belle's orders, and though he didn't need to speak out against his daughter much, he stepped in once he saw that the LeBeau-mutant was alive and, once again, his daughter was clearly shaken.

"Call off yo' Rippers, Belle." Marius said seriously. He had tried to put himself in charge of his daughter's plan to kidnap Jean-Luc for the second time. If possible, he would rather the Thieves find out he was still alive than expose his daughter to Remy LeBeau if the boy was, in fact, still alive. He gave orders for Belle to stay out of sight, now that the Thieves no longer had the power to keep them imprisoned, he even attempted to send her away.

~*~"What?! Now? You can't be serious! We are in line to take the city back!"~*~ Belle couldn't believe that her father was trying to remove her from the Assassins while the most critical plan was within their grasp.

" Dis gonna take a lot. Ah know you can do it, but so can Ah, without you. Now that we can leave, you best go-"

" This is about Remy. Isn't it?! It doesn't matter anymore, Daddy!" She knew that her father was disturbed by Belle calling off the Assassins and Rippers after seeing Remy again. She had made some excuse about the LeBeau's having other powerful mutants fighting along side them and that they aided in Jean-Luc's rescue. She said that she had cautiously called off the men to regroup, but Marius knew it was a lie. His daughter didn't want to admit that seeing her "husband" again had caused her to freeze.

"You shook, baby! See it in yo'face! N' dem Rippers is startin' ta get wild! You do as Ah say n' you leave!" Marius demanded, as sweat began breaking out on his forehead and neck. Belle knew he was right on both accounts, the Rippers were starting to become bolder, and Assassins members were reporting overly violent incidents being done by the Rippers. Marius' mind immediately went to his deceased son's old habits and was eager to remove his daughter from the situation. His heart began to race with fear, the sins of his son were beyond disturbing and after losing him so horrifically, the thought of Belle ordering others to do the same deeds was causing him great strain. He never intended his daughter to be at the forefront of the Assassin's Guild, he was by no means healthy, but now that he was walking again, he was ready to regain his place as leader. And he was sure that in all of the chaos of rescuing his father, Remy LeBeau didn't even notice him. Marius also looked considerably different, older, he had lost much of his hair, and not as healthy as he was before his daughter's wedding night. Marius would also be careful that Jean-Luc never saw, or heard him, or any Assassin member while he was being held by Belle's Rippers. Marius knew his enemy well, and he knew if he gave Jean-Luc a reason to doubt that the Assassins were still active, he would believe it. And of course, Marius never made himself known; it was essential that Jean-Luc believed Marius was dead, which proved to be quite simple; one of Jean-Luc's greatest flaws was denial. Marius knew his enemy's son well too, it was clear to him that the LeBeau-mutant would never genuinely care enough for his daughter to actually defy Jean-Luc, and it was clear to him that Belle had some sort of preexisting relationship with the boy. He was disappointed that his daughter was carrying on with a Thief, but for her to think that it was anything more than a ruse to lure her in was aggravating. For her to hold out some ridiculous hope that Remy LeBeau gave her a second thought was frustrating. In Marius' eyes, the Thieves had used his daughter's heart to dismantle the Assassins, and her emotional response to seeing Remy again was proof that it was happening again. He was correct in assuming that seeing her estranged husband alive and well, disturbed Belle greatly. The pain in her eyes was obvious.

"This revenge is my right too! I can't leave, Daddy." Belle reasoned. Her anger with her father began to grow, but her demeanor became puzzled as she watched her father open and close his fist, as if he were trying to get feeling back into his fingers.

"Ah tell you what yo' rights are! N' you gotta right ta live outside o'dis bayou, like you always goin' on 'bout!" Marius said, he then clutched his chest as he gave his daughter his firm orders.

"Daddy?" Belle asked as she watched her father fall into his seat and tightly close his eyes. " What is it?! Daddy look at me!"

"Get, Gris-Gris!" Marius said gripping his chest. Belle ran off to fetched the closest thing they had to a doctor. To Belle's greatest fear, her father had suffered a heart attack. Ever since the attack on her wedding day, Marius had never been the same; his health never returned completely. He had would suffer from a weak heart for the rest of his life. All of the excitement and stress of becoming a fully functioning Guild again had exhausted him. The final straw was the thought of the nightmare that had plagued his son, returning to take his daughter, was enough to induce a heart attack.

"It ain't good, girl." Gris-Gris said, as he monitored Marius' heart. Belle sat next to her father's bed, rocking herself from side to side. "We gotta stop de movement den?" He asked, now that Marius was bedridden, he couldn't imagine the Assassins going forth with the second attack to take the Thieves Guild and control of the city.

"No." Belle said firmly. Her eyes shifted from fearful, to a sort of crazed focus.

"No?" Gris-Gris asked. He wasn't entirely sure what the Assassin princess would do. Today showed that together, Marius and his daughter were powerful, and effective. Now, with Marius down, he was unsure of what Belle's next move would be.

"We go forward...under me." Belle sounded determined, she could not afford to break down at her father's side again. She had wept at her father's side for years and it was time to stop. After seeing that Remy had not only betrayed her, but had also carried on with his life, she needed to do the same. In the years she was held by the Thieves she had realized what she was capable of. After the relative success of kidnapping Jean-Luc, she believed anything was possible, and after seeing Remy alive she regained her unwavering need for revenge.

"What 'bout yo' father?" Gris-Gris asked. He had come back to the Assassin to assist in their promising take over. Gris-Gris was a fickle coward, and he made little secret that he looked out for no one but himself. He would easily abandon them if Belle became unreliable, but he hoped very much that the Assassin princess would succeed; after all, if Belle was able to regain control of both Guilds he would raise along with them.

"Have you ever seen him question me? Get me mah Rippers!"

* * *

 _(Present day, Assassin's Masion)_

After they had taken Jean-Luc so easily the first time, as Marius had predicted, hiding Assassin members began to emerge. They were excited and eager to become the Guild that they once were. They trusted Belle's leadership immediately, despite her unorthodox decision of creating an Assassin subgroup called "Rippers"; they were a disturbingly violent group, but they were willing to follow her and her Rippers if it meant power again. Belle had sent a young Assassin envoy, Elie Boudreaux, to send the message about Jean-Luc to Remy. He had not lived as a Thief member for quite some time, but Remy knew that an envoy-delivered message demanded that he come alone. And just in case Remy was stupid enough to bring any of his mutant friends with him, Belle had an idea of what she was dealing with, and for that reason, Belle called on Kendra to remove the mutant problem. Kendra seemed to delight in the idea of seeing mutants, and she was secretly over-joyed to contain these "super-humans". Kendra was disappointed that she had missed them the first time, but was intrigued by Belle's broken heart, she did not understand why there was pain in her voice or why the woman looked so shattered, but she was interested to understand, which is why she agreed to assist the Assassins further, and contain the possible mutant visitors.

Just like the first time, Belle had lead the Assassins and Rippers well. The second attack she had made on the Thieves Guild was far more aggressive, Jean-Luc's kidnapping became inevitable to Jean-Luc himself, as his allies fell and his resources began falling apart. She had orchestrated the gruesome Ripper killings to exact revenge and impose fear into the hearts of all Thieves. So violent were the killings, some Thief members left the state, others knew the tides of power were turning and began withdrawing from the public eye. Remy had done an excellent job of staying under the radar, for a while, but Belle had been watching Remy from the moment he got to the bayou shore and departed from his group of mutant companions. Though, she had not seen it herself, she had gotten word that Remy and the mutant-girl that had accompanied him in his father's rescue the first time was with him, along with three others. Kendra made quick work of them, everything was going according to plan. Even Remy's timing was perfect. It was a another stab to the heart to Belle that Remy could arrive in New Orleans not even 3 hours after he received word that his father was in danger again.

Belle stared deeply into Remy's eyes, as he knelt before her on the black and white marble floor, and her staring down on him, on the high marble platform. He had grown into a devastatingly handsome man, with the same garnet eyes that had, both, loved her and abandoned her. His legs had gone weak, and he had dropped to one knee at the sight of her. He was experiencing the same stunned shock she had when she had seen him after all these years.

"All dis time..." Belle said in an enraged whisper, it was practically a low growl. She stood on a elevated white marble stage, with deep purple curtains. She felt a surge of emotions as she looked down at him. In front of her was her estranged husband, on one knee and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. It was his turn to have that same paralyzing shock. "You never came back on yo' own. Did you?" Belle said sadly shaking her head, her heart was still clearly broken, and now, with all this time that had passed, it was not only her heart that was damaged, but her mind as well. "De night you came ta recuse your father, Ah saw you! You were alive! All dis time, n' you never were man enough ta find me?! Save me?!" She hissed " You know what it been like fo' me?!" Belle demanded, she almost couldn't formulate the words, she was a fire-storm of emotion. Angry for so many reasons, hurt for a many more, and shockingly, she had a small part of her that was ashamed of the love she still had for him. For years, all she had wanted was her dearest friend, and even though, day after day he disappointed her by never coming for her, it was difficult to undo the days before he had abandoned her, the days where he had come to her aid any time she needed him, time and time again.

"Belle, Belle..." Remy said to himself in an inaudible whisper. his voice was muting itself. Remy's heart felt like it had stopped, it was all true everything he had attempted to avoid was now crashing down on him. Every word she spoke was true, he hadn't tried to find her, and he never attempted to get any closer than the city limits, because part of him didn't want to know. She was telling the truth he hadn't ask about her, nor did he come back to New Orleans to check on her, and the one time in years when he did, he turned his back and ran off with Rogue. The worst part of all of this is that he would never regret the decisions that he made, even now he wished he could run and never look back; facing Belle was worst than he thought it would be, soon it would become all the more horrifying. She then stepped off the stage and confronted him face to face. She was a tall woman and in her heels, she was the same height as Remy. Her eyes burning into him, her face only inches from him, closely enough to kiss him. " Ain't you got anythin' ta say? " Belle whispered in angry disbelief.

"Ah..." Remy started, but that was it. It was all he could say. He searched the corners of his mind, but nothing was good enough; there were no appropriate words for this, but silence wouldn't do either. The longer Belle studied his face, the more she soaked in the fact he was alive and well, and the angrier she became with his silence.

"Say something! " Belle screamed, as she slapped him across the face. Any other woman in the world and Remy would not think twice of the perfect thing to say, but with her, he was speechless. He only succeeded in making her more upset. Belle's voice echoed through the large ballroom, the hard slap across Remy's face echoed just as loudly. That stinging slap did take away some of the shock, he wasn't able to formulate much, but he did manage to speak.

" Ah-Ah didn't..didn't know..." He was breathless, he barely recognized her. She was no longer the sweet, doll-like girl, with big dreamy blue eyes. She resembled Julien! It was horrifying, her eyes were like ice and she looked enraged and ready to attack. Her honey-gold ringlets were gone, and now replaced with straightened gold layers, pulled into a tight ponytail. The proper and lady-like clothing she would always wear was gone as well, and she was wearing form-fitting black and crimson Assassin-fencing padding, and for the exception of a backless tank-top with a light silk shawl draped across her back, she looked prepared for a fight.

" You do know! Thanks ta you n' yo'...yo'...SHOW HIM! " Belle choked on her rage, she could no longer speak and tell Remy of the imprisonment she suffered at the hands of Jean-Luc. She would much rather show him her rage than speak it. Two men pulled on thick gold ropes, which pulled back the deep purple drapes, it was almost the type of stage that royalty would be introduced on, the high stage was about four feet above the black and white marble floors, and on the stage were types of crucifixes, four of them. The two of the stands hung two men, they were his two uncles, Moussa and Laurent, the hateful uncles that had spoken with Henri earlier that night, but had refused to speak with him. Remy almost couldn't comprehend what he was looking at, both Moussa and Laurent's mangled corpses portrayed a cruel and horrendous final moments. Remy saw that the murderer had cut open their chests and had spread the ribs and lungs out like a bird. When he was a young boy, Remy had only seen this done once before, on an unfortunate opossum that Julien had gotten his hands on, but never on an actual person. The blood from his fellow Thieves had been pooling under Belle's spike-heeled boots, and was only now dripping down the front of the stage. The depraved ritual had clearly taken place recently and on that very stage. The walls were red-slathered with fresh blood, it was so fresh that it was still dripping down the white marble walls. Remy hated his uncles, but no human being deserved this, their faces were slashed up, almost beyond recognition and their throats had been slit multiple times. Remy had done work for drug cartels, ruthless big business, even violent political figures and he had been witnessed to violence before, but it was nothing close to this. It was the indescribable horror of watching men that he had known his entire life, with their bodies mangled into rotting angels, with flesh of their backs spread out like wings and their chest cavities open with snap-backed ribs. Their viscera had spilled all over the stage, they had been put up like some sort of decoration! It was exactly the way Julien would have done it. Belle had inherited the same sadistic traits that her brother had. Remy couldn't face that he had a hand in making her this way. Sickness and overwhelming shock forced Remy to quickly turn his back to Belle and the stage, an arm across his stomach. He was never a man that could handle this sort of violent depravity, it simply wasn't in him to do this sort of thing to another person; he thought Belle was the same way, and much of his misery stemmed from realizing that his beloved friend was no longer the person he remembered.

~*~"My father wouldn't approve, but Julien would have been proud. My brother!"~*~ Belle demanded. Marius wouldn't have approved, but his failing health allowed Belle total control of the Guild. Since John-Luc's first kidnapping, Marius's health began to fail steadily ever since their wedding night, he had become bedridden recently, and Belle wasted no time in getting Remy back to New Orleans. Her extremists ways weren't questioned, because they were yielding results. The Ripper members smiled at Belle's work. How they loved her! The Rippers were a small group of about five men and one women, they all shared a collective passion for savage murder; they were all very aware that their fellow Assassins were unnerved by them, but they were a necessity and very effective, so the Assassins cautiously tolerated them. The Rippers watched with their fellow Assassins. They watched their beautiful leader speak to their enemy, they had never seen the man before, but they hated him immediately. This Thief had wounded their Assassin leader and had been a key player in dismantling the original Assassins Guild years ago, for that, he could not live. They laughed at the Thief-son's eyes bulge with shock, so weak he looked, with his back to Belle's artwork proudly displayed on stage. The coagulated blood dripped like syrup from the empty abdominal cavities of the two men, the brown-red pools dripped onto the stage and down to the polished white and black marble.

~*~" You didn't...! You couldn't, not you!"~*~ Remy's last resort was denial. His first and best friend, his childhood companion could not be capable of such horrifying cruelty.

"Remy! Catch!" Belle said.

"Huh? Ugh!" Remy's knee-jerk reaction was to catch what Belle tossed at him. The moment he had it in his hand, it squished and he looked down to realize it was a human heart, he dropped it instantly. If he hadn't already thrown up the bourbon his brother had given him, he would be fighting it from raising to his throat.

~*~" Kept the hearts..."~*~ Belle said commenting on how Remy ripped out hers. ~*~" It's your uncle Laureates. I knew you were never fond of him."~*~ Belle said coldly. ~*~" Do you like my handiwork Remy? I'm not as good as my brother was. He could keep them alive for hours. I haven't figured that part out yet. I guess I just need more practice. Whether I get that practice or not will be your choice."~*~ Belle then pointed at two of her Rippers. They nodded in acknowledgment, and dragged two men from the darkness, one was limp, and beaten; Remy immediately recognized his father, the second man fought under the Ripper's grip, it was his brother Henri. Remy's heart went from feeling like it had stopped in his chest, to beating like a jack hammer. Remy found his voice, it had been knocked loose by seeing the only two men in this world he would risk his life for, being held with the intent of being gutted like deer.

" B-Belle dis, dis ain't you!" Remy was bewildered by the sight. He had no idea what to say, he felt the most profound horror in the depths of his heart. Remy fought the need to fall to his knees again, as he saw his father tied to one of the crucifixes with no resistance, thankfully, it was clear that he was still breathing. His brother fought, and was given a heavy punch to his stomach to make him more compliant.

~*~"N-no! You cannot want this! W-we never wanted this!"~*~ Remy demanded, his shock was slowly being over taken by outrage.

"We?! Ain't no we! Dere be Thief n' dere be Assassin! N' you got a score ta settle!" Belle angrily screamed, her voice filled with rage. How dare he talk of 'we', when he had abandoned her and left her for dead.

~*~" You might think that you need to do this, but you don't and I won't!"~*~ Remy angrily demanded. Of course, Belle was not one to tolerate anything but remorse from her estranged husband.

"Dis ain't a Thief city no mo'! You ain't got a choice now, Neg! Bring dem out! " Belle demanded. Her eyes glowed with crazed anger, as the second floor of the ballroom began to illuminate with a green-white light. The Assassins parted for a apparition with four dark shadows in tow. The brilliant apparition manifested into a translucent form of a woman, it was Kendra of the floating spires, the God-like immortal that reigned as Guild law. The four dark shadows could now be seen clearly, they were people, three men and a woman. ~*~" Abide by the old ways or else! We got a special guest with us tonight to make sure that everything goes as it should!"~*~ Belle's crazed and intense stare shifted to Remy, and in her face all he saw was Julien.

"Belle, No!" Remy screamed. He hadn't seen Kendra since he was a young boy and she was just as fantastic and astonishing as she was when she had manifested from the ancient tithing grounds. And the fact that Kendra held his teammates so easily was enough to shock him silent again. His eyes briefly darted to Rogue and the others. He could not linger too long, he knew if Belle caught him looking at his teammates for too long, Belle's anger was unpredictable and she would do anything at this point to hurt him.

"Gambit?!" Scott called out, they had heard everything, but had seen nothing of it until now. The sight of what they could see on that stage rendered them speechless. Rogue could only whisper Remy's name to herself.

"Every body here now!" Belle announced, with her arms outstretched. " It's time we finish dis!" Belle was given two sheathed swords, one she threw at Remy. He did not catch it, he let it fall and it clattered to the ground. ~*~" Now you see what's at stake."~*~

"Belle we...we don't need to do this-" Remy said, trying to tap back into the friend he knew and loved. It was useless, however, Belle nodded to the men on stage that held his father and ruthlessly stabbed him in the side. Jean-Luc groaned loudly.

"Father! Don't!" Henri called out, horrified. All eyes darted back at Belle, whom was drawing her sword from it's sheath.

" Yes...yes we do, Neg. Stabbed yo'Daddy where you stabbed mine! Only Ah give you a chance ta get him back! Fight o'Ah kill 'em all!"

* * *

 _Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Winter_ so pretty, really worth a listen: _watch?v=nGdFHJXciAQ_


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